Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Class123 is a classroom management tool containing several features for organizing classrooms and communicating with students and parents. Tools include a timer, seating chart, attendance manager, random name picker, and more. Sign up for free to add your rosters and avatars. Parents and students sign up with a code provided. Once enrolled, members receive or send communications privately or within groups. Please be aware that Class123 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 Class123 with their child.

tag(s): behavior (45), classroom management (120), communication (129), DAT device agnostic tool (147), parents (57), Teacher Utilities (197)

Rambox is a free download for organizing online messaging services into one convenient place. This service allows access to several services in one place and also offers the availability of the included mobile apps onto your desktop computer. Some of the services include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Voxer, Linkedin, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, and much more. Not finding the service you need? Add it manually. Follow links to download Rambox onto your computer, then choose from provided services to enable them. Personalize each of the setting notifications to meet your needs.

tag(s): communication (129), organizational skills (88)

Intergalactic Mobile Learning Center is a set of six mobile apps for use in elementary and middle school collaborative learning situations. The apps include a spreadsheet, word processor, KWL tool, PDF, Flipbook, and a mind mapping tool. Two or more students work together using their own devices to collaborate on any project either face to face or from a distance. In addition to the apps, the site also offers a few starter activities, called Roadmaps for download. Apps use Google logins and work best in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browsers. The demonstration videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): collaboration (93), mind map (27), spreadsheets (23), Teacher Utilities (197)

Build your own 3D spaces using Delightex (was CoSpaces), then view in virtual reality. Choose from the large library of items to include in your creation including characters and objects. To get a sense of how this works, visit the gallery to view creations built by CoSpace users. Register to create your account to start building your own 3D space. Be sure to visit the section for educators with many lesson plans and ideas on how to use CoSpaces in the classroom. Tutorials for CoSpaces reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): augmented reality (9), coding (85), creativity (86), DAT device agnostic tool (147), digital storytelling (154)

Does your school block YouTube and other video sites? Download and save online videos with ClipGrab. Download the app to your computer to save videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Metacafe, and more. When downloading, choose the original format for best quality or convert to MP3, WMV, MPEG4, or OGG file formats.

tag(s): conversions (37), movies (54), video (266)

Just as the title implies, this site converts text to speech. Enter any text up to 4000 characters, select a voice and speed, name the file, then choose "Start." After processing, click play to listen or choose from download options as an mp3 or wav file.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): listening (93), multilingual (77), pronunciation (34), text to speech (20)

This Museum of Modern Art site, though "plain Jane" looking, shares a plethora of history of all exhibitions at the museum from 1929 through the present. Browse through collections by date, or filter by type of exhibition including film series, performance programs, and others. Choose the link to Art and artists to find collections by specific artists. Of particular interest in this section are audio tours including some specifically for kids.

tag(s): 20th century (62), art history (102), artists (84)

Discover ideas for new, captivating literature to include in your classroom! Each blog entry focuses on a recently published book. In addition to a summary of the book, entries discuss several different teaching methods incorporating the book along with extensive lists of links to additional information and similar books. In addition to the blog entries, use links to find book lists by topic as well as classroom and curricular ideas. This blog is a must-read for teachers of all subject areas and is free! This blog is a sister to The School Library Journal which costs for a subscription.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): blogs (65), book lists (167), literacy (121), literature (221), preK (270), reading lists (77)

Writer is a distraction-free writing app for online and offline typing. Register using email to begin using the typewriter. The free version allows saving an unlimited number of documents, and it automatically saves documents as you write. Customize your experience to include typing sounds or not, change background colors, fonts, and more. When finished, export as a PDF or text document. this is a great writing tool for students with distraction issues!

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), editing (93), journals (15), process writing (37), proofreading (21), Special Needs (53), Teacher Utilities (197), writing (324)

WordClouds generates custom word clouds using your text. Create using their "wizard" with step-by-step directions to add documents or text and personalize features. Another option is to use the dashboard at the top of the page to add and customize the look of your word cloud. Choose colors, type of display, and font. The most frequent words appear larger and darker. When finished, select file to save in your choice of format or share online.

tag(s): editing (93), proofreading (21), speech (69), vocabulary (238), word choice (14), word clouds (13)

Check your blogs, emails, and other written content for grammar and spelling using Grammarly. Consider it your second set of eyes for proofreading any document. Copy and paste text into Grammarly's text editor, or install the browser extension for use on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Grammarly also includes an add-in for Windows OS for use in Microsoft Word and Outlook. Use Grammarly to flag 250 types of errors, including context-optimized synonym suggestions. Click on underlined words to view and correct errors. This review is for the free edition of Grammarly, which includes the browser extension.

tag(s): editing (93), grammar (137), Microsoft (80), proofreading (21), spelling (97), writing (324)

Simplenote is a note-taking tool that updates information across all of your devices. Download the app for mobile devices and onto PCs. Notes update immediately, no need to save. Use the scroll bar to go back in time and find notes from a previous time. Use tags or search to find notes created. Simplenote also allows for collaboration with other users.

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

Baamboozle is a quick and easy-to-use tool for playing and creating games. It doesn't require registration to play. Choose the "Games" link to go to all games saved on Baamboozle. Scroll through to view games, or search for a term. Divide the group into two teams and begin play. Each team chooses a number from the game board and answers the question. Check for accuracy; then, Baamboozle keeps track of scores. Use games found on the site, or create games on any device. Registration with email is necessary to create your own games.

tag(s): flash cards (44), game based learning (205), preK (270)

EasyWrite is a simple to use writing tool for creating easy to understand content. Just type your text into the text box and begin writing. EasyWrite highlights words not found in the 1,000 most commonly used words in the English language. At the time of this review, EasyWrite worked best with Chrome or Mozilla FireFox.

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), editing (93), multilingual (77), process writing (37), vocabulary (238), writers workshop (31), writing (324)

Not just for summer! Enjoy learning at home all year-round with PBS Kids Summer of Possibilities. Download the free Summer Activity Book for new daily adventures such as using bath time to explore math or learn how to make a bird feeder. Scroll through the site to find reading charts, map skills, activity booklets, collections such as Observing Nature, Sharing Your Creativity Through the Arts, and much more. Did you find this site too late for summer? No worries, there are plenty of activities to do throughout the entire year. Be sure to check the bottom of the page for the "What's On Today" PBS shows.

tag(s): calendars (37), literacy (121), preK (270), reading lists (77), seasonal (16), summer (28)

Wall of Birds is a cool interactive map from Cornell's Bird Academy based on an epic mural Found at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The site features species found around the world spanning 375 million years using content from the All About Birds website, reviewed here. The colorful world map depicts 243 birds, one from each taxonomic family, showing where to find each on the globe. Find extinct species on the mural in black-and-white, and you can zoom in and out and pan to see the progression of evolution that led to modern birds. Click on each bird picture and a window opens with its name, family name, natural history, a sound file of its call, and a map showing where to observe it. A social media aspect lets you vote for favorites and check out a leaderboard.

tag(s): birds (46), evolution (89), map skills (63), maps (220)

Hundreds of teachable movies! That's how many lesson plans or guides you'll find at Teach With Movies. Search one of the numerous categories to locate the movie, documentary, or short you want. Some of the categories are Subject Matter (and not just math, science, history, etc.), Social-Emotional Learning (themes like Ambition, Coming of Age, and many others), Appropriate Age (three through adult), and Set Up the Sub (found on the top menu under Features), just to name a few. Lessons include a general summary of the film and discussion questions with answers. Most also include a rationale for using the movie, the subjects, topics, and themes, if there is a book - a bit of background and review of it, objectives, possible problems, historical context, and more. Of course, the topics for consideration depend on the film. Sign up for the newsletter to see when there are lesson guides for the newest movies. Whether culminating a unit or introducing one, using these lessons and guides along with the video will help to make a lasting impression about your topic.

tag(s): difficult conversations (57), essays (21), movies (54), questioning (36), social and emotional learning (102), social skills (22), worksheets (69), writing (324)