Saturday, June 19, 2010

Cool Earth Infographic!

Pretty simple here, but very neat and includes new information incorporating deep ocean oil drilling, specifically the Horizon Oil Rig in the Gulf. Shows key points from the highest earth point to the deepest point in the ocean and cool items in between. Might be something fun for science or social studies.


I Spot a Story....possibly a place for articles in your class?

As a teacher, you could use this site to put an article into one spot and assign all students to read it and write a comment. The students could then see what other students were saying. They could also see what other students from around the country or world are saying if those students see your article and comment on it as well. Or maybe you simply want students to find a story/article on this site, read it, and leave a comment in order to broaden their minds and have them interact with other commenters. Either way, this site could have several different possibilities. Enjoy!


Online Children's Books with Audio

Not many books on this site yet, but if you have a student who is struggling to read, this site might be a good site to use. Students can highlight certain words to hear them read aloud. Would be a great book for any of our ELL students. There are other sites out there that are similar, including our subscription-based Scholastic site, but this site is a good one as well. Give it a try!

Do you Want Students to Evaluate You? Your Class?

Evaluation by students can be a valuable and enlightening tool to use. However, it can be difficult to hear what the students have to say from time to time. But as professionals, we likely still need to get their feedback, good, bad, or otherwise. Larry Ferlazzo is a big believer in class and teacher evaluations. I looked at some of the evaluation tools/templates he uses and liked them a lot. However, since they are attachments, I figured I would just place the link to his blog on teacher/class evaluations and let you read it and click on the evaluation tool to see a sample. Use it or something like it if you would like to try evaluations in your class.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

History Games

A site packed full of games about history and social studies topics. Maybe have a class of students "test" the games out and tell you the best or write a review....that could even be cross-curricular! Either way, I am sure some of the games on here are really good and some not so good. Have fun trying some of them out!

National Geographic Map Machine

I didn't play around with this site much, but it appears to be a quick and easy way to get a map of basically any area, country, city in the world. Might be useful for social studies or any other class that is studying a region or area. Enjoy!

"Moms With Apps" a good source of Apps for our students

Mom's with Apps is simply a blog that introduces all of us to many "apps" (applications...aka...programs or games) that are family-friendly and good for kids who have IPhones, and ITouch, or a phone or device that can download apps. Obviously, not all of our students have these devices, but more and more do every year. The ITouch was the most requested gift this past year by my 6th and 8th graders with over 50 of them asking for it for Christmas. Many of the apps that are blogged about on this site are educational and could be useful for extra practice or enrichment activities. Might take some time to find ones you like, but it is worth the exploration. And if you are like me and have a device that can download apps and have kids at home....this site is even better!

Monday, June 7, 2010

One for the Counselors: Self-control

Okay, sure all teachers could use some of these sites, but this link is mainly for the counselors in your building. Several sites about helping students (and teachers?) maintain their self-control. Also, some links and sites for anger management and motivational strategies. Enjoy!

Want to make Timelines Online? Here you go....

No matter what subject you teach, timelines can be useful. If you want a way to make timelines using computers and the internet, here are some sites for you. I have placed a link to Larry Ferlazzo's blog where he talks about the best online sites to make a timeline. Quick and free to use....2 keys for teachers and students. Enjoy and thank you Larry!

ASCD Publications now online!

ASCD (formerly the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development) has now archived its publications online. They put out a monthly publication that contains articles on where the education profession is, was, and might be going next. It has articles on classroom management, how to be a better educator, and how to make schools better. Not saying you need to sit down and read each one, but this site might be a good site to check monthly and skim the article titles to see if one of the articles can help you or your school. Give it a look!