Hooda Sites

I cannot believe how much testing the state of Texas requires our little ones to complete. TPRI tests for each child, DIBELS assessments for each child, First Steps in Mathematics assessments for each child, and DRA (running records). My class and I are on overload! Here are two great sites I have found to keep the little ones working and interested.
Could be set up as a reward center, review center, etc. The content is well organized and all of the links appear to be working. Hooda Word has 24 games related to language and Hooda Brain has 14 games designed to improve memory skills. I hope these sites will help you navigate through the end of year assessment jungle!

QR Codes

Know what this is? This is the QR code for my blog! Many of us have QR readers installed on our smartphones. Kaywa is a site that gives you the ability to create QR codes for yourself. What is the application for education? Well, that depends on your creativity!

A coworker of mine has created a QR code and posted it on her weekly newsletter. The QR code links parents to her classroom website. I have also seen educators use QR codes to create review sheets for students. You would have to have the available technology for your students, but it creates an interesting twist for students!

Here is a fantastic post from "Free Technology for Teachers" that explains more! Have fun!

http://qrcode.kaywa.com

Learning A-Z

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Now, I love the homemade cards and signs, but every so often there's a true present that shows how much teachers are appreciated. Interested?
Learning A-Z hosts a family of sites that you may already use in your classroom. If you already use these sites, then you know that they are subscription sites. Well for one day each week, Learning A-Z is opening one of their sites for FREE!! Did you hear that? FREE!!

The last time they did this, I almost crashed my computer from downloading files nonstop! :) Best fun ever! So, grab a cup of coffee (and possibly an external hard drive) and dive in for great resources! I know these resources are not necessarily "integrating technology", but they are fabulous! Here's the schedule:

All week: Raz-Kids is a student-centric site where kids can practice reading online anytime and anywhere.

May 2, 2011- Reaing A-Z is a fantastic collection of printable and projectable books and resources that spans 27 reading levels.

May 3, 2011- Vocabulary A-Z has 12,000+ words that are organized by categories and give teachers the ability to create customized vocabulary lists.

May 4th, 2011- Science A-Z has science curriculum resources spanning more than 60 units, all are written to three reading levels.

May 5th, 2011- Writing A-Z has many of the resources you need to teach writing in your classroom.

May 6th, 2011- Reading tutors provides more than 400 reading resource packets that can be used for one-on-one tutoring.

TeacherLed

TeacherLed is an interactive resource for educators. This site appears to be a blog with English and Math activities for K-12 classrooms. The site does not appear to have been updated since March 29th, so I'm unsure if new content will be added.

All of the links appear to be in working order so I suggest taking a few minutes to look through the site and bookmark/download the activities you feel are most appropriate for your classroom. Personally, I think my students will enjoy the Rainbow Multiplication and Word Circle activities. I can't wait to go back and investigate the site fully, but it's definitely worth a mention! http://www.teacherled.com

I am always on the hunt for new activities, but if you need help locating resources, please comment and let me know. I'd love to try and help. Two heads are always better than one!

And on a completely unrelated note....9 followers? Thank you! I'd love to crack double-digits, so please pass this blog along to your friends! :) Happy Teaching!

Writing Fun

Writing Fun is great tool to incorporate into your Writer's Block. Perfect for visual learners. This is not an online game site, but real content for use in your classroom.

How would you implement this site? Use this site as you introduce content to the class on your IWB, use this site as a resource in the computer lab, or as a way to differentiate the process & product for your students. After you enter the site, you choose the text organizer that fits your project. Then students can view details for the text organizer and see examples. Students can type directly into the organizer and print their finished product. Writing Fun is a fantastic tool for upper elementary and middle school teachers.

Bubble Burst

Bubble Burst has to be one of the most fun (and challenging) games for your IWB! Students can use Bubble Burst to practice prime & composite numbers or odd & even numbers.

The object of the game is simple. Use the claw to burst only the bubbles with prime or odd numbers. The difficulty comes with the speed and accuracy needed! Your students are going to have a ball! What a sneaky way to encourage them to practice these skills! Shh! Don't let them know that they're studying! Keep it a secret!

http://www.teacherled.com/2008/04/02/bubble-burst/

HippoCampus

HippoCampus is an educational site for secondary teachers. "Teaching with the power of Digital Media" is their slogan and I am very impressed with the layout and content. This is not just a site filled with games, but rather with lesson planning tools and educational content.

Use materials found here for display during guided instruction or on a computer station for tutorials. Students can work in a group or independently and the activities are self-checking and self-pacing.

Content includes: Algebra, Geometry, Government, Biology, Calculus, Environmental Science, Physics, Psychology, Religion, Statistics, and US History. (The Algebra and Calculus sections are also presented in Spanish!)

http://www.hippocampus.org/

What's the Score?

Have you ever spent time designing a fun game for your students but then you ran out of creative options for keeping score? You'll love this! Curriculum Bits hosts two versions of score keeping programs for use on your IWB. You can even add sound! What a fun way to jazz up a game!

You can keep score using a two-team format:












Or a four-team format:












Make sure to check these two options out for your next review game!

EcoKids

EcoKids is a Canadian based website for Earth Day activities. There are games and activities for students that can be used on your IWB. I would not recommend these games for younger elementary students, but the activities are appropriate for upper elementary/middle school. There is also a teacher section where you can register for lesson plan ideas and printables. Just in time for Earth Day!

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm

YouTube SearchOn

I just recently stumbled across an easy way to create videos on YouTube. Visit http://www.youtube.com/searchon and create short videos for your class. It is basically a video of an internet search. You are given six search boxes that connect with Google and you can choose to display a web search, maps, images, etc. When you are satisfied with the content, you can add music, preview and upload your video to YouTube.

How is this relevant for the classroom? Well, first of all, it's fun. It would be a fantastic way to differentiate the process or product for a classroom assignment. It is a great first step for teachers just beginning to integrate technology into the classroom. You can easily add the video to your classroom website or blog! It could even be used as a tool to aid communication with parents.

I'm very sleepy this morning since my crazy puppy woke me up at a ridiculously early time this morning. After my coffee kicks in, I plan to play with the tool more!

Interactives

Interactives is a great website to check out for middle & high school teachers. There are several activities in Math, History, Language Arts, and Science. Only two of the games are reserved for elementary students. The games are all well done and would be a great resource for either introducing or reviewing content. Enjoy!

http://www.learner.org/interactives/

Sheppard Software...We Make Learning Fun!

Sheppard Software houses an enormous amount of content for your IWB. Games and activities are available for PreK-8, however the majority of the games are for elementary. There are still gems to be found for secondary teachers. Content on the site includes all of the core areas. The site is engaging and easy to navigate. While there are a few advertisements and pop-up windows, I still think site is worth using on your student computers or IWB. Some of the activities can even be differentiated for ability level. If you haven't checked this site out yet, bookmark it for future use!

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games_menu.htm

"Our educational games will give your brain a workout! Learn new things and challenge yourself by advancing to higher levels."

Fakebook

Looking for a great new differentiated activity for your students! Tired of reading boring book reports or your basic project? Need a creative way for students to demonstrate their knowledge of historical figures or fictional characters?

Try Fakebook! Fakebook is powered by Classtools.net and will pull images for historical figures. Students can create a Fakebook page for their historical figure! What a fantastic way to integrate technology in the classroom and differentiate instruction! Students can add friends, write comments, and provide basic information on their "wall". This is too much fun!

Thank you to In Tec Insights for this great post! Couldn't wait to pass it along to my readers. All 4 of you! :) Smile! It's Monday!

http://www.classtools.net/fb/home/page

Maths Master

You have to look at Maths Master! This is a relatively new site that has several short videos covering different math topics. The videos are short clips designed for students to use as a review tool or study aid. Great for when your students need a quick boost of their skills or while you are working with a small group. http://www.mathsmaster.org

Science Museum

Science Museum is a collection of interactive games for use on your IWB or computer workstation. These interactive Science games are designed for elementary students but could be used with middle school students as well. Games include links to support content and you can even find lesson plans written for your class!

The site is well developed and easy to navigate. There is no cost associated with the site either! Definitely go check out this site and save it to your bookmarks!

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/games.aspx

Create A Graph!

Create A Graph is a fantastic tool for middle school and high school teachers. Upper elementary students will also be able to make use of this great tool! You can create bar, line, area, pie, and coordinate plane graphs. Students can completely customize this graph and print their results when finished! Take a look around the site! You'll be surprised!

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx?ID=52cd6409573b4382b47ea618895d4622

Build An Online Habitat with Switchzoo!

Anyone else going to the zoo this year? My class is going in just a few weeks and we always include a science unit on habitats. Here is a great site for you to use in your class as you discuss animals and their habitats. It's Switchzoo!

Perfect for your IWB, you simply choose an animal and then create the perfect habitat! There is a compatibility meter for your students to help them choose the correct biome, vegetation, and precipitation! Great activity!

http://switchzoo.com/games/habitat.swf

Topmarks

Topmarks is a teaching resource site that is absolutely HUGE! Can you sense the excitement? I'm positively drooling over some of the great resources. Of course, this being a technology blog...let's talk interactive ideas for your whiteboard.

Topmarks breaks down their content into key stages. These stages correspond with primary/elementary/middle/high school ages. There are interactive games and activities for all of the core subject areas. There's something for everyone! Once you've arrived at the site, please look around for other great content. Enjoy!

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Interactive.aspx?cat=76

Pete's PowerPoint Station

Pete's PowerPoint Station contains hundreds of PowerPoints and games for use in your classroom. All grades and almost all subjects are represented. You can easily search out PowerPoints for use in your instruction. I used to import these PowerPoint files directly into ActivInspire on my Promethean board, but I felt limited by what I could do with the file. Annotations were always having to be "cleaned" off before I moved on to the next slide.

Now, I simply open the PowerPoint file in MS and I hover my stylus over the lower-left corner of the board. This brings up a menu for me to use. I can advance the slides, choose pen colors, and choose marker colors. This only works in "slideshow" mode. I'm sure there are similar options with SMART boards but I only have experience working with Promethean.

http://www.pppst.com

Pic-Lits

Pic-Lits is a fantastic site for upper elementary, middle-school, and high-school teachers. This interactive website encourages students to become better writers. Bright, colorful picture prompts are combined with key words. Students can freestyle write or use the drag and drop feature.

The drag and drop feature is a perfect way to differentiate this writing activity for your struggling writers. When the assignment is completed, it can be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter, or embedded in a blog. Of course, there is a print feature too! Make sure to check out this site. It's worth the time!

http://www.piclits.com/compose_dragdrop.aspx