Posted April 17, 2009
Promethean Interactive White Boards
What is a Promethean ActivBoard?
Promethean ActiveBoards are interactive white boards. Through the use of the ActivBoard, a connected computer, projector, and accompanying software, you can write on the board, manipulate objects, and create and save entire lessons called “Flipcharts” using a magnetic stylus pen. Key points about instruction using an ActivBoard include:
o Promethean Boards engage students to a greater extent when they interact with the content in any given subject area.
o The board is intended for use with large groups, small groups, and individual student instruction.
o The biggest impact on student achievement occurs when students are engaged in direct interaction with the lesson using the board during the majority of instructional time.
o Promethean carries a student clicker system that works seamlessly with the board to provide the formative student assessment piece that’s easy for teachers and fun for students.
To see computer specifications and classroom videos of Promethean Boards and other instructional technology, please visit the DPS Classroom Technology videos at http://techtraining.dpsk12.org/classroomtech/.
DPS Promethean Website
The Educational Technology Department has created a website just for DPS teachers with Promethean Boards at http://promethean.dpsk12.org . This website contains Flipcharts created by DPS teachers using DPS curriculum and are categorized into Elementary, Middle School, and High School sections. As more teachers submit Flipcharts, this repository will grow into a full-blown library of lessons available for download by all DPS Promethean using teachers.
This website also contains pricing information for Promethean hardware, a list of DPS schools and how many Promethean Boards they own, a Promethean Training Schedule, and a verification spreadsheet for DPS teachers who have registered for Promethean training.
Additionally this website contains links to specific pages on Promethean Planet’s website that are particularly helpful such as video tutorials, software downloads, and a world wide repository of thousands of Flipcharts submitted by many of the Planet’s more than 300,000 members.
Promethean Planet
Prometheanplanet.com is the company’s main website containing multiple resources for Promethean users (mainly teachers) around the world. There are thousands of Flipcharts available free to members for download. There is also a Promethean forum where members communicate about everything from best practices for using this technology to troubleshooting techniques for creating Flipcharts.
http://prometheanplanet.com
Promethean Learning
Prometheanlearning.com is Promethean’s professional development website containing both free and paid online training courses for their software. The basic skills course is free.
http://prometheanlearning.com/us/index.php
Promethean Knowledgebase
The Promethean Knowledge Base is Promethean’s support website containing a wealth of technical information for Promethean Users. Among other subjects, it includes information such as:
* Trouble shooting guide for projectors
* An integrated search function
* An updated FAQ section
* A complete glossary of Promethean brands and technical terms
http://us.prometheankb.com/
Purchasing
If your school is interested in purchasing a Promethean ActivBoard, first visit the Promethean Pricing Spreadsheet to decide whether you need a mobile board or a permanent mount board. Installation is required for the permanent mount board, so be sure to note those details. There is a 15-hour training expectation for all teachers receiving a Promethean Board.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pk4BED8b29DuTe0rHMKTReA
For questions, contact: Erin_Magley@dpsk12.org.
Posted April 1, 2009
Online PowerPoint Alternatives
Tired of PowerPoint? Why not use an online tool to create powerful presentations that can be shared with parents? These are our top online presentations tools—give one a try today!
| Create Online Account | Embedd-able in other web sites | Insert audio files |
Insert video files | Pre-built templates | Music database | Imports Power-Point files | |
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Posted March 12, 2009
Research and Reference Sites
Infoplease
Infoplease combines an encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, dictionary, and a lot more, all in one place.
http://www.infoplease.com/
HowStuffWorks
Your students can find easy to understand information about how anything and everything works on this site.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
MetaGlossary
MetaGlossary defines more than 2 million terms, phrases, and acronyms.
http://www.metaglossary.com/
Repositories of Primary Sources
This global index is a wonderful place to find strong sources for manuscripts, archives, historical photographs, and more.
http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/special-collections/iil.htm
Refdesk
Find kid-friendly research resources through Refdesk.
http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
eHow
eHow explains in simple language how you can do just about anything.
http://www.ehow.com/
DPS Databases
The Denver Public Schools Database System contains a plethora of online resources available at the click of a mouse to all DPS students and employees.
http://lion.dpsk12.org/screens/onlinedb.html
Posted March 4, 2009
Writing and Publish Student Work
LetterPop
LetterPop uses a collection of high quality templates to create newsletters, presentations, invitations, collages, and more. Intermediate Elementary and up.
http://letterpop.com/
A Dog’s Life
Sponsored by Scholastic, this interactive site helps younger students create a story using different backdrops, characters, and their own dialog.
http://www.scholastic.com/dogslife/createtale.htm
My Comic Strip
From Kiddonet, this comic strip creator provides a three-panel comic strip and allows students to drag expressions and create their own dialog. Intermediate elementary and up.
http://www.kiddonet.com/kiddonet/comicsPlatform/thecone.html
Comiqs
Upload your own photos, add clipart and word balloons, and create a simple comic strip. Intermediate elementary and up.
http://comiqs.com/
Plagium
Plagium is a free plagiarism tracker and checker. Simply copy your work and paste it into the text box and click the ‘Track Plagiarisms’ button. The site searches the Internet for similar text and alerts you to sections that appear to be plagiarized. Results are listed in a timeline with links to the original material. Middle school and up.
http://plagium.com/
Easystreet
Type in a name or short text and this site will convert it into an image of a street sign for you. Instructions come in both English and Spanish. Any age.
http://wigflip.com/easystreet/
Newspaper Clipping Image Generator
This site creates an image of a newspaper with the headline and story from your own text. Images can be saved or copied for inclusion in student presentations. Intermediate elementary and up.
http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp
PicLits
This site starts with high quality photographs, adds lists of different parts of speech, and allows students to drag and drop the words to create picture-literature compositions. The PicLits can be saved, shared, or used as prompts for additional writing. Intermediate elementary and up.
http://www.piclits.com/compose_dragdrop.aspx
Larry Ferlazzo
Larry Ferlazzo specializes in collecting educational resources with a particular eye toward those the English language learner. Please check his best of collection where students can write online.
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/10/19/the-best-places-where-students-can-write-online/
Posted February 11, 2009
DPS LION DATABASES
Denver Public Schools has an outstanding online library system, our very own LION. LION offers many resources to our students and staff, but an often-overlooked rich source of information is found in the online databases.
WHERE DO I FIND THEM?
The Online Databases are easy to find! Once you access the DPS Lion system (http://lion.dpsk12.org/screens/onlinedb.html) the link to the Online Databases is found in the blue bar on the left-hand side of the page. This will bring up the six categories of the available databases.
HOW DO I ACCESS THEM?
All databases can be accessed from any Internet computer within DPS and designated sites are also available from home. If, however, you try to access them from home, you will be prompted to login. This prevents outsiders from using the databases that are paid for by DPS. The login procedure is simple and requires only your LAST NAME and STUDENT or EMPLOYEE ID NUMBER. Remember that your EMPLOYEE ID NUMBER can be found in the SEA Lawson Website on the Human Resources page. Look under Work Information and then Job Profile.
WHAT DATABASES ARE AVAILABLE?
There are currently 43 databases and they are divided in LION into six sections. Within each section you will find from 4 to 12 different databases. The database descriptions will pop up when you hover over the links on the main database page, seen here:
A new feature called Research Pro, has been added that enables you to simultaneously search more than one of our databases at a time. You can access the Research Pro page by copying this entire address and pasting into the address field of your browser. You will be asked to login to your LION account.
http://lion.dpsk12.org/screens/onlinedb.html
As seen below:
The same authentication rules apply for Research Pro- if you are at a school you should not be prompted to login. However if you are outside the DPS network, you will need your last name and either student ID or DPSID to access the content.
Research Pro results also display within the results page of our new library catalog search interface. They can be found in the bottom right corner of the results page.
Happy Researching!
Posted February 2, 2009
Gaggle Student Email
https://gaggle.dpsk12.org
This edition of Webspirations is centered on the use of Gaggle Student Email. Denver Public Schools has purchased 40,000 student email accounts through e-Rate funding. To date there are 30,000 accounts created for student at many of the DPS schools.
Description from the Gaggle.net site -
"Gaggle mail is provided via the Web. No hardware or software is required by your school other than an internet connection. Students can log onto the Gaggle Web site from any computer in your classroom, the library computer, or their computer at home."
When students arrive at the DPS Gaggle Web login site, they simply enter their name and password to access their account. The first thing students will see is their Inbox screen. This screen shows all of their mail folders and the contents of each folder. Clicking on one of the messages will bring up the selected email to read.
After reading the message, the student can write a reply, view the next message; or start a whole new message. Gaggle has many features built right in. There is an address book for storing friends’ email addresses and students can send and receive attachments.
Gaggle list of Features -
https://www.gaggle.net/featurelist.html
All email, text, and pictures that are sent and received through the Gaggle system go through an extensive filter for inappropriate language and content.
Instructional Uses of Gaggle Email –
- Teachers can send everyday lessons/assignments via e-mail.
- Gaggle reinforces keyboarding skills every time it’s used.
- A teacher can send different writing prompts to different leveled groups of students to keep anonymity among lower and higher readers.
- Partners can write a story together via e-mail where one writes the first three sentences and sends it to the partner who continues with three more, and then back and forth until the project is finished.
- Allow students to write as many e-mails in a day as they would like with the stipulation that it MUST follow a formal or friendly letter format every time which includes proper salutations, capitalization, usage and punctuation.
- Writing projects and samples can be e-mailed to parents so that they can stay abreast of their child’s progress.
Instructional Use of Gaggle Digital Lockers –
- Students can store assignments and works-in-progress in their digital lockers.
- Students can access work stored in their digital lockers from home.
- Students can collaborate with classmates by making certain files downloadable for a project partner.
Instructional Use of Gaggle Blogs –
- Students can use their blog as their writing journal.
- Students can use their blogs to write about current events.
- Students can use their blogs as a question and response venue for literature they are reading.
- Web links to student-discovered resources can be inserted into a blog or message board for their teachers and classmates to access.
- To stay informed about their student’s writing skills, parents can have “read only” or “write” access to their student’s blog or the class’ message board.
Instructional Use of Gaggle Message Boards –
- Teachers can lead “Global Discussions” among just their classes, the whole school or with any other classes around the district.
- As student’s read each other’s posts they learn from each other and are more motivated to continue to share.
- Teachers can use message boards to post assignments, year-book deadlines, etc.
- Message boards can be used for homework help so students post questions, read each other’s questions, and the teacher can facilitate collaborative learning.
- Book clubs and reading groups can have their own teacher moderated message boards.
For more information, please visit:
DPS Gaggle Login website - https://gaggle.dpsk12.org/
Gaggle.net main website – http://www.gaggle.net
For questions about how to have accounts set up for teachers and students contact your school technology representative.
Posted January 15, 2009
Best ESL Websites
ESL websites are plentiful, so here is a narrowed list of some top choices.
Larry Ferlazzo
Larry Ferlazzo has made a name for himself by offering exemplary instruction to his bi-lingual students and then offering them to the learning community at large. Larry teaches English and Social Studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. In addition to his plentiful website, you would be well advised to sign up for his free email newsletter (http://larryferlazzo.com/englishdetails.html) highlighting the changes and additions to this vast site.
http://larryferlazzo.com/english.html
Dave’s ESL Cafe
Dave teaches in Northridge, California. His site has developed over many years and it is on par with Larry’s work. Many wonderful resources, a sure hit!
http://www.eslcafe.com/
BBC English Learning Center
Definitely a top choice! This page (from the British Broadcasting Company) offers so many resources it is a Webspiration unto itself. Features include Vocabulary from the News, Music and Stories, Quizzes, Grammar and Vocabulary, and weekly podcasts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml
English as a Second Language
From the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this rich site offers lots of resources from Listening, Podcasts, Reading, Writing, Newspapers, Games, Dictionaries, and lesson plans, just to name a few.
http://www.rong-chang.com/
Activities for ESL students
There are over 1,000 activities on this website to help you study English as a Second Language. This project of The Internet TESL Journal has contributions by many teachers. If you're learning English as a foreign language you can also profit from this site.
http://a4esl.org/
Podcastsinenglish.com
PIE is designed for EFL/ESL learners and teachers of English. It features authentic conversations and also supporting vocabulary worksheets, WebQuests, transcripts, and extra activities for Elementary, Intermediate, and Upper Intermediate students.
http://www.podcastsinenglish.com/index.htm
ELT Games
Lots of great FREE printable grammar and conversation activities written by professional ESL writers. This site is quick and easy to use for elementary students.
http://www.eltgames.com/
Top 100 ESL teacher sites
From songs to certificates to podcards, this site is easy to navigate to find ESL resources. Sites are organized by rank.
http://top100teachersites.gotop100.com/index.php
ESL Flashcards
Download 100's of free flash cards. Every set of flashcards comes in color and 3 different sizes. The Big set is great for vocabulary presentation, the Medium set is good for teaching small groups of students and playing language learning games. The Small sets are great for ESL games such as Go Fish. Currently there are 968 images and 2904 flashcards.
http://www.eslflashcards.com/
Posted December 2, 2008
Google tools
This edition of Webspirations is centered on the tools available through Google. All of the tools discussed require a free and easy to set up Google account.
Google Personalized Homepage (iGoogle)
This customizable homepage can give you one-stop access to much of the information you look for on the internet. Modules, or gadgets as they are called, can be added to your page to bring you the information that you are looking for. http://www.google.com/ig
Google Notebook
Google Notebook allows you to clip and collect information as you surf the web by creating virtual notebooks where information, links, and pictures can be stored. These notebooks can be categorized and organized in any order within your account. http://www.google.com/notebook/
Google Calendar
Users can organize their schedule and share events with parent, students, and the community. This calendar allows you to view your schedule by day, week, month, 4 days, or in an agenda format. Searchable public calendars are available for holidays, events, and many more. http://www.google.com/calendar
Google Docs
Allows the user to create and share online documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. Upload from and save to your desktop, edit your work anytime from anywhere, everything is stored securely online. This is a great solution for those who do not own a copy of Microsoft Office and would be a great collaborative tool in the classroom for group projects. http://www.google.com/docs
Picasa
Picasa is an easy way to organize, edit and share your photos. An easy download allows you to edit your photos to eliminate scratches and blemishes, fix red-eye. You can also create movies, collages, slideshows, and more. Pictures can be uploaded to web albums to share with friends, parents, and students. http://picasa.google.com/
Google Reader
With Google reader, keeping up with your favorite websites is quick and easy. Get all your news and blogs in one place through this easy to use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) reader. Stay up to date with news feeds from CNN, Time, The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Best Selling Books on Amazon, NPR, Educational Technology, and thousands more. http://www.google.com/reader
Google Sites
Google Sites is an easy way to create and share web pages. Sharing settings for the site allows you to choose who views the site; everyone or just a select group that you invite. You can also customize page layout, color scheme, and components. http://sites.google.com/
Posted December 2, 2008
Online Organization and Collaboration tools
The world that students experience today is quite different than the world of 5, 10, or 20 years ago. So much of what students experience is online as is evidenced by the popularity of social networking sites and text messaging. How do teachers move toward a learning environment that taps into the potential of this new learning atmosphere while making sure that the students still receive the information necessary to have a well-rounded education? The following links seek to answer that question in part by providing a collection of online organizational and collaboration tools that may assist you and your students to move into the cyber world to enhance the educational experience.
Thinkature
Thinkature offers real-time collaboration online for students, teachers, and more. You can create a collaborative workspace and invite students and other teachers to join you in just seconds. Once inside your workspace, you can communicate by chatting, drawing, creating cards, and adding content from around the Internet. It's all synchronous, too - no need to hit reload. http://thinkature.com/
Flickr
Teachers can share and store classroom images with this incredibly popular online photo storage and sharing service. After creating a free account you can upload your images, edit them to remove red eye etc., organize them into collections, share them with others, and make cards, books etc. from the pictures. http://flickr.com/
Diigo
Diigo is a great tool for bookmarking, highlighting, and sharing the web with your students. With a free account you can begin to research and locate websites, bookmark and tag them, highlight specific text, and even leave sticky notes on the page for your students to help them focus their research. http://www.diigo.com/
Wikispaces
Teachers can create a free, easy-to-update web space and resource for your class using Wikispaces. The pages of the site can be set up as a resource where information is shared by the teachers, or as a collaboration tool where all members of the site can edit specific pages. http://www.wikispaces.com/
del.icio.us
Save your favorite sites and share them with your class using the social bookmarking site del.icio.us. Social bookmarking is a method of putting bookmarks on a user created account on the internet so they can be accessed by any computer and shared with others who have tagged their bookmark with the same key words. http://delicious.com/
Clipmarks
Clipmarks lets you clip exactly what you want your students to see. Teachers can create Clipmarks to clip out text, images, or video to share with your classroom. Instead of linking to entire web pages. http://www.clipmarks.com/
Netvibes
Netvibes allows you to create a class start page full of useful resources. Netvibes is a free web service that brings together your favorite media sources and online services. Everything that matters to you and your class: blogs, news, weather, videos, photos, and much more is automatically updated every time you visit your page. http://www.netvibes.com/
Gliffy
Teachers can create and share flow charts, diagrams, and more with Gliffy. Gliffy makes it simple to organize your thoughts and share them with your students, colleagues, and organizations. When you take your ideas and organize them visually, it's easier for you and others to really understand them. http://www.gliffy.com/
Notecentric
Share and store your class notes with this online note taking application. Notecentric is a web-based note taking application. Notecentric keeps your notes organized and readily available online. Your notes are always in one place, so you don't have to worry about synchronizing them. http://www.notecentric.com/
Jott
Capture your thoughts, create to-dos, and set reminders with a simple phone call. This free service allows you call the Jott service and record memos, to-dos etc. that are then transcribed and sent to the destination chosen including email or text message to your designated cell phone. http://jott.com/
Google Notebook
Google Notebook allows you to clip and collect information as you surf the web by creating virtual notebooks where information, links, and pictures can be stored. These notebooks can be categorized and organized in any order within your account. To use this tool you will need to create a free Google account. http://www.google.com/notebook/
Google Personalized Homepage (iGoogle)
This customizable homepage can give you one-stop access to much of the information you look for on the internet. Modules, or gadgets as they are called, can be added to your page to bring you the information that you are looking for. The next Webspiration on December 16th will be devoted to Google tools with an in-depth look at many of these useful items. To use this tool you will need to create a Google account. http://www.google.com/ig
Posted November 18, 2008
Today's Internet Explained - Video Edition
Common Craft “In Plain English” Series by Lee Lefever
This series of short videos focuses on a single subject or online tool animated in an easy to understand format. In addition to the videos listed below, more short animations can be found at the link below.
The videos on Lee Lefever’s Common Craft site are hosted on YouTube and will require a YouTube override to view them inside DPS. The videos linked in the rest of this Webspiration are hosted on TeacherTube (http://www.teachertube.com) or Edublogs.tv (http://edublogs.tv), video sharing sites that are not blocked by our filter. If you don’t already have a YouTube override for your school, please have your Principal contact the DoTS Hotline.
http://www.commoncraft.com/show
Social Media in Plain English
This overview video explains some of the reasons the Internet is changing so much at this point in time. If you are wondering about the ‘back-story’ behind some of the changes, this video uses a simple metaphor about ice cream to provide some insight.
http://edublogs.tv/play.php?vid=157
Web Search Strategies in Plain English
This video demonstrates some simple ways to reduce the unrelated results while searching on the Internet. Narrow your search results to sites that are more relevant to what you really want.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=881bef314565e4f00c3c
Podcasting in Plain English
If you would like to record your students, or are just curious about what a podcast is, this video explains how today’s media is changing so anyone can ‘broadcast’ their own shows.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=0caf60d28b852556d52f
Blogs in Plain English
This 3 minute video provides the background behind what a blog is, and why some people blog. Motivation is important in writing, and blogging can be a very motivating experience for yourself and your students.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=367ab9eed5af82966a48
Social Networking in Plain English
Have you ever wondered why so many kids these days are spending time on web sites like MySpace or Facebook? This video describes how the Internet facilitates connecting to others using a social network.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b8f6786609d31c8ef129
Social Bookmarking in Plain English
Social bookmarking sites like delicious.com do more than just store your Internet bookmarks online so you can access them from any computer, they also make it easy to find similar bookmarks.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3e17aa176019eafac82a
Wikis in Plain English
A wiki is a quick way to put up a web page that allows students to collaborate. Not only can you review the final product, but wikis also track every editing change so you can review what was contributed, and by whom.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c04c7bfc822caf7c7459
RSS in Plain English
RSS, or ‘really simple syndication’ is a web technology that allows you to collect new information from the sites you visit into one easy to manage site called a ‘reader’. Instead of having to visit each site, new information from your sites comes to you.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=086faafd8c122981cc82
Google Docs in Plain English
There are actually many free online office productivity options. This video explains why you might want to use an online version of a word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=77c5560d4cd9c3ffb6cd
Online Photo Sharing in Plain English
Online photo sharing is one of the most popular activities on the Internet these days. This video explains the benefits to saving and sharing your photos online as well as organizing your photos with ‘tags’ or key words.
http://edublogs.tv/play.php?vid=221
Introducing the Book
While not produced by Common Craft, this video takes a humorous look at the changes we face today by revisiting what it may have felt like in an earlier time of transition.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b295ffb1d96b0af9d77f
Posted November 4, 2008
Online Assessments
Activities for ESL Students
Quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles to help you learn English as a Second Language (ESL). This project of The Internet TESL Journal (iteslj.org) has thousands of contributions by many teachers. Flash is required for some quizzes.
http://a4esl.org/
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab
Extensive list of quizzes for listening activities geared specifically for ESL students.
http://www.esl-lab.com/
Easy Test Maker
Free online test generator to create your tests
http://www.easytestmaker.com/default.aspx
Quiz Star
Create quizzes for students to take and review online. Comes with a 60-day free trial and subscription prices starting at $2.75 a month.
http://quizstar.4teachers.org/
Kathy Schrock’s Assessment and Rubric Information
A wide selection of assessment rubrics and graphic organizers.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html
DPS Department of Assessment and Research
Your one-stop-shopping site for information about assessments used in the Denver Public Schools.
http://testing.dpsk12.org/index.html
Colorado Student Assessment Program Released Items
Released items offer insight into the format of the CSAP test items only. For content of the assessment, refer to the Colorado Model Content Standards and/or the Assessment Frameworks. The curriculum and assessment experts within a school district are the best people to contact for further questions about appropriate use of released items for professional development or instructional purposes.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/released_items.html
Online CSAP-like Assessment
The Texas Education Division has released their state standardized tests (TAKS) here as an online interactive assessment that your students can use to measure proficiency in Math, Reading, Writing, and Science.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/index.html
Posted October 7, 2008
Search Engines and Directories
Searching the Internet can be an intimidating and confusing process when it comes to looking for quality academic resources. Below we have provided some search engines and directories that you should find helpful in your pursuit of quality online academic content.
Clusty
http://clusty.com/ - With this clustering search engine, you’ll be able to search on Wikipedia, blogs, and more at one time.
BUBL
http://bubl.ac.uk/ - Find selected Internet resources in specific academic subject areas through BUBL.
Turbo10
http://turbo10.com/ - This search engine looks on more than 800 deep web search engines at once, so you’ll be able to save time and find great information you can’t find anywhere else.
Complete Planet
http://www.completeplanet.com/ - On Complete Planet, you can find more than 70,000 searchable databases and specialty search engines.
Ask for Kids
http://www.askkids.com/ - This search engine was created with kids in mind, offering tutoring and reference help as well as search.
Librarians’ Internet Index
http://lii.org/ - Find websites you and your students can trust in this directory compiled by librarians.
CyberSleuth Kids
http://cybersleuth-kids.com/ - Get searches, homework help, and more from this website.
Geniusfind
http://www.geniusfind.com/ - Geniusfind offers a directory to some of the best resources you can find on the web.
Internet Archive
http://www.archive.org/ - Check out the Internet Archive to get access to websites and pages that have fallen off the web.
KidsClick!
http://www.kidsclick.org/ - Visit this website for a kid-friendly search engine.
Digital Librarian
http://www.digital-librarian.com/ - This site offers a librarian’s guidance for the best resources online.
Infomine
http://infomine.ucr.edu/ - Infomine is full of scholarly Internet resource collections that you and your students can use.
ProTeacher Directory
http://www.proteacher.com/ - ProTeacher has teaching ideas, resources, blogs, and more for elementary school teachers.
Posted September 23, 2008
Online Flash Card Tools
This edition of Webspirations addresses the availability and use of online Flash Card Tools. For content requiring memorization, every student will occasionally need some self-tutoring. The flash card is a great and time-tested tool—and now it has gone web based. All of the sites listed here are free to use and the websites should be shared often. Consider posting them on your own classroom wiki.
FlashCard Machine
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/ - One of the most popular and easy-to-use flash card tools is FlashCard Maker. After a very simple account creation, students can create sets of up to 50 flash cards to drill online or to print out for studying when away from a computer. Or use the extensive database of already-created flash cards. Store them online for free. http://www.flashcardmachine.com/
Flashcard Exchange
http://www.flashcardexchange.com/ - Flashcard Exchange is a robust and easy-to-use application with some unique attributes. Creating flashcards is as easy as visiting the home page and following the online instructions.
FlashCard Exchange lets you:
· Create an unlimited number of flashcards.
· Create flashcards in any language - http://www.flashcardexchange.com/help/language.
· Make your flashcards available to anyone.
· Import flashcards from text files and Microsoft Excel.
· Create flashcards with images. Currently jpegs can be used for image flashcards.
· Create audio flashcards. Currently mp3 files can be used for audio flashcards.
· Include a “hint” to assist in the study process.
http://www.flashcardexchange.com/
A Plus Math
http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html - A great site for younger students. This site hosts a wide variety of pre-made flash cards ranging from addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, algebra, rounding, and money, just to name a few. http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html
Flashcard DB
http://flashcarddb.com/ - Another great tool that hosts a large database of already-created flashcard sets, or allows you to create and save your own. FlashcardDB boasts the use of Spaced Repetition. According to the website, you can study more in less time using your choice of the Leitner System or Supermemo-style Graded Spaced Repetition. http://flashcarddb.com/
FlashCard Friends
http://www.flashcardfriends.com/ - Flashcard Friends is a website focused on education. It enables students to create, learn and test themselves using the proven method of flashcards…except that these are online, not printed. They also offer social networking capabilities for friends to share flashcards with one another. http://www.flashcardfriends.com/
Posted September 10, 2008
Best Educational Technology Videos
This Webspiration brings you the best in educational technology videos. These videos help explain some of the current trends in educational technology and are also intended to present the case for the use of technology in the classroom. Please feel free to share these videos with anyone interested in the "why" of using technology with their students.
Having Our Say
http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/initiatives/havingoursay/video.html- Middle School students share their views on what it is like to be a student in the today’s digital world. This video is brought to you from the Friday Institute http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/index.html.
If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, What is a Video Worth?
http://learningismessy.com/blog/?p=196 - Brian Crosby is an elementary teacher in Sparks, Nevada. Last year he and his students put together a short video introducing Celeste, a homebound student the class embraced as a regular part of their classroom through the use of video conferencing.
Karl Fisch, a teacher at Arapahoe High School, put together a collection of videos that were produced to help the faculty at his school understand technology as it relates to education. Each link takes you to Karl’s blog, The Fischbowl, where you can find his insights into each video, as well as links to the videos.
What If?
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/09/what-if.html - Looking back at how our view of technology has changed over time and provides insight into some of the challenges that technology presents for teachers that our students consider commonplace outside of the classroom.
Did You Know?
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html - Also known as Shift Happens, this video presents an interesting and challenging look at the impact of technology today. There is even a companion wiki with suggestions on how to use the video: Shift Happenshttp://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/.
Learning to Change, Changing to Learn
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=769ecebb1acfc6748b4f - created by CoSN http://cosn.org/ (Consortium for School Networking) and the Pearson Foundation http://pearsonfoundation.org/(Pearson Education), features 13 prominent voices in the field of educational technology, such as Daniel Pink, Author of A Whole New Mind http://www.danpink.com/wnm.html.
Learning 2016
http://www.teachers.tv/video/4957 - featured lecture at the Royal Society of Arts, Stephen Heppel, founder of the UK Microelectronic Education Programme, Ultralab, explores the role of technology in education, and looks forward to what learning might look like in the year 2016.
Michael Wesch, Cultural Anthropologist at Kansas State, has put together many thought provoking videos relating to learners and Web 2.0. Below is just a selection. He is the project coordinator for Digital Ethnography http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/.
A Vision of Students Today
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e0b93b5f334ffb4e4064 - provides glimpses into the interactions between students and the technology that, in part, defines their world.
Information Revolution
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=011e4e34a7f97d464261 - examines how the digital revolution is changing the world around us.
A Vision of K-12 Students Today
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d1296214afd7cc367045 - written by B. Nesbitt, based on the work of Michael Wesch, provides the same message from a K-12 perspective.