Socrative - Engage Your Class Using Any Device

Want a quick and easy way to engage your students and find out what they know? 

Try socrative.com! Produce quick interactive polls and quizzes that your students can access on any web-enabled device. They also provide ipod and android apps too. The site is currently in beta and is free to use. 

Be sure to check out their classroom integration ideas that are posted on their blog site, Socrative Garden. In addition, you may check out their video howtos on vimeo: http://vimeo.com/channels/233370

As for me, all I know is that I know nothing. - Socrates

What a Bloomin' Great Idea!

I love Google Apps for Education. Educator Kathy Schrock has put together a great visual tool to break down the application of Google tools as they relate to Bloom's revised taxonomy.

Check it out here: http://kathyschrock.net/googleblooms/

Blogging about Blogging- Cart Before the Horse?

I read a great post on the langwitches.org blog today. The author makes the case that in order for teachers to effectively use blogs in the classroom, they need to start READING blogs first. Only then, can they get a sense of what makes a good blog stand out. She offers several interesting Ed Tech blogs, broken down by topic to get you started too.

Once your ready to jump in to your own blog adventure, be sure to check out her other posts, such as "We are Blogging... Now What?"

The Whiteboard Blog

I just came across a cool blog that features LOTS of great tips for using Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) in the classroom. The Whiteboard Blog's October 4, 2011 post, Five Funky Flickr Tools for Teachers, allowed me to create the cool graphic in this post.

Bloom's Taxonomy in Technology

Tech specialist, Lichelle Leonard posted a nice interactive compilation of web tools and their placement in Bloom's taxonomy:

http://www.res.rcs.k12.tn.us/teachers/leonardl/blooms_pyramid.html

Student Created Textbook

The Students' History is a super example of how technology can be used to get kids involved in class. These students are definitely not the "sit and get" type. They're creating their own online history textbook!

Bye-Bye To My TI?

I love my TI graphing calculator. But what if you need a powerful graphing calculator and don't want to spend a lot of money? The free, online, Desmos graphing calculator is a lot nicer than any other online tool of its type I've ever seen.

It instantly draws the equations as you update them, expressions can be color-coded, and you can share any graph online, or export it.

PBS LearningMedia - It's More Than Just Sesame Street!

PBS LearningMedia offers thousands of free high-quality public media resources specifically for PreK-16 educators.Sign up today and get access to downloads, content, professional development and more!

I Before E... What About Me?

No one can dispute the fact that the web has provided an unparalleled explosion of writing. But, much of it isn't worth the digital bits it's written on. In order to foster better writing skills and a love of good literature, we need to teach our kids the difference between treasure and trash.

Indiana teacher, Carla Beard has created the Web English Teacher website as a resource for teachers of all levels. She describes the site: "At Web English Teacher educators can take advantage of online technology to share ideas and to benefit from the work of others. Beginning teachers can find guidance; experienced teachers can find inspiration. Think of it as the faculty library and faculty workroom on a global scale.
Because the most important part of teaching isn't the technology."

Ghost Stories - Bring Dead Presidents Back To Life

Students sometimes have a hard finding significance in the study of historical events. The National History Education Clearinghouse has created Teachinghistory.org to help teachers spice up their teaching. The site offers teaching resources, best practices, and lots of history content that can be used in your classroom.

Get a Few "Benjamins" & "Grants" For Your School

Tech and Learning has posted a wonderful calendar of technology grant opportunities for schools.
http://techlearning.com/article/39802

Get Help From "The Cloud". Fly Over To Brightstorm.com

If you can't believe you've already exhausted Khan Academy (or even if you haven't), check out BrightStorm.com.

They offer short, to-the-point FREE STEM videos covering topics in Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. 

I've Got a Theory... You'll Learn Something If You Take Advantage of Einztein.com

http://www.einztein.com/ is a database of FREE online courses.

There are a wide variety of topics available. Most are aimed at High School and College students. Get some help with Algebra or Chemistry. Like Programming or Poetry? They've got you covered.

Of course, you'd need to have a brain like Einstein to understand some of the topics, such as Electron Microprobe Analysis by Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry...

CS Unplugged

The June 2011 PRISM newsletter has a lot of good material (as usual). As a former Computer Science major, I found one of the resources particularly interesting. CS Unplugged is a free website dedicated to teaching Computer Science topics WITHOUT A COMPUTER! It does so via various puzzles, games, and other activities.

There are many printable activities and a teacher's guide available on the site. They also offer a whole host of videos to help you integrate the activities into your classroom. The activities are aimed at Elementary school children, but I think they're great for any age kid (including me)!

Bring Your Shovel and Pail to the Universe Sandbox

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to manipulate the planets and other celestial bodies?

Check out the Universe Sandbox and find out!

Budding astronomers will love this cool interactive program. Their website describes is best:

Ultimate Power
Spawn massive stars, launch asteroids, and manipulate gravity with just a few clicks.

Fun & Interactive
Explore our universe through unlimited experimentation.

Easy to Use
Intuitive, game inspired controls make creation and destruction effortless.

Real Physics
Uses Newton's law of gravity to simulate the motions of the planets, moons, and stars.

Create Your Own Game Show With SuperTeacherTools.com

http://www.superteachertools.com/ has several neat tools on its site. The most popular is a flash based Jeopardy game show creator. How about creating an ISTEP/ECA review session? Use that new projector and act like a TV show host!

Free Stuff for Science Teachers

I didn't have to think up a creative title for this one, huh? Who doesn't like free stuff?

Visit this site: http://scienceinquirer.wikispaces.com/freestuff to get, uh... free science stuff!

While we're talking science, you might want to check out this site too: http://www.k5geosource.org/ .
This is from their site description: "If you are involved in elementary science education in any way, this Web site is for you. The site has a rich store of content, activities, services and links for you to explore."

Get The New Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 For Free

Microsoft Education has released it's latest version of Microsoft Mathematics for free.
Among other things, it offers a nice graphing calculator and visualization tools.

More Kid-Friendly Videos - ZuiTube

ZuiTube is a great site that provides a collection of videos that have been parent and teacher approved. It looks to be aimed at younger kids. Thanks Allie for the link!

Create a YouTube Account for Classroom Use.

View this quick video to learn how to create a YouTube teacher account and post your first video on your Google Site.



If you want your students to be able to view the new video, make use of the LightSpeed Educational Video Library. Be sure to submit your new video. See the LightSpeed Wiki for details.

*NOTE* If you are asked to link your JGSC e-mail account to your new teacher YouTube account, do it. It makes signing in easier. :-)

100 Good YouTube Videos for Teachers

Do you work to squeeze every last bit of toothpaste from the tube? Do something similar with YouTube!
Smartteaching.org has a list of videos that can help you "squeeze the good stuff" out of YouTube.

Ruffle Their Feathers With Storybird

Get your students excited about writing with Storybird. Students can create visually rich books that can be viewed online or printed out. Check out the sample book that tells about their vision. Teachers can get a special account which allows them to setup a classroom and student accounts (no student e-mail required).

Make asdfjkl; asdfjkl; Fun! Play These Free Typing Games

http://www.freetypinggame.net/play.asp is a great collection of free flash-based typing games to get kids excited about the sometimes boring asdf jkl; ... typing routine.

Google Art Project

Google has launched a new project, called Art Project, that lets users explore several art museums.
You can walk through the museums and view the artwork, as well as additional information about the piece.
The site uses Google's street-view technology to power the navigational interface.

Promethean Quick Tips and Tutorials

Here's a brief list of Promethean tips to get you started with your Interactive Whiteboard (IWB):

 

Promethean Resources

ActivLearning - Promethean Planet

ActivTips - Promethean Planet

Boost your ActivSoftware skills with these short, how-to videos.

iLearn Technology » Promethean Quick Tips

Knowledgebase : Support : Promethean Planet

School of Education Knowledgebase Search Results
ActiveInspire Tips from Technology Resource Teachers

 

Rexneffex10 - Promethean Tutorials

YouTube - ActivInspire Quick Reference Guide 1- Intro and Toolbox

YouTube - ActivInspire Quick Reference Guide 2 - Camera Tool

YouTube - ActivInspire Quick Reference Guide 3 - Inserting Links and Saving/Printing

YouTube - ActivInspire - "Containers" - Video Tutorial

YouTube - ActivInspire - "Inserting Media/Links" - Video Tutorial

YouTube - ActivInspire - "Customizing Toolbox" - Video Tutorial

YouTube - ActivInspire - "Browsers" Video Tutorial

YouTube - ActivInspire - "Desktop Tools/Camera Tool" Video Tutorial

YouTube - ActivInspire - "Desktop Annotate" - Video Tutorial

 

Mikewolf28 - Promethean Tutorials

YouTube - Module 1 Intro to ActivInspire

YouTube - Module 2 Working with Text

YouTube - Module 3 - Resource Library

YouTube - Module 4 Navigation and Presentation

YouTube - Module 5 Customize your Toolbar

My Google Works Better Than Yours!

Perhaps, but not after you read this great post from onlinecollegecourses.com:

100 Google Search Tricks

Produce A Podcast With Relative Ease.

Have you ever wanted to create a podcast, but don't know how to setup all of the necessary technology to host it? No worries! Focus on the content production and let podomatic do the rest!

Finally, I can learn "Chemistry Now" at NBC Learn.

Check out the free weekly video series,  Chemistry Now, that's produced by NBC Learn the education arm of NBC News. Learn about water chemistry, molecules and structures, cheeseburger chemistry, and more!
http://www.nbclearn.com