Gudli

Gudli is great little site that I just discovered after reading a post over on iLearnTechnology's site. (If you haven't discovered them, you should definitely head over there.)

Gudli is designed for early education students, Pre-K-1st, but would be appropriate as a center activity for grades 2-3 as well. It is well designed, easy to navigate, and very colorful. Children will be engaged from the moment they enter the site.
"Gudli is a unique online experience for kids where they enjoy learning. With our interactive educational games children develop skills in maths, logic, memory, words, creativity and more. Gudli is free, full of fun, easy to use and the ideal learning space for preschoolers to second grade kids."

I will be posting less during the summer because I am trying to finish graduate school and prepare to change grade levels for the next school year. I hope you'll keep checking back on this little blog and please consider becoming a follower! Wishing you a fantastic summer!

Brain Nook

Brain Nook is great site that I discovered after reading back articles on the blog, iLearnTechnology. If you haven't discovered this blog, I recommend it! Brain Nook is a fun, interactive site geared for young students needing to practice math and reading skills. It is free to register, but you have limited access. Full access requires a premium membership. Even though the free access is limited, there is quite a bit for students to complete. The graphics are colorful and easy to navigate too!

I know the school year is winding down, but this would be a great resource to share with parents to help keep students active over the summer. Check out this great site!

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!

DIBELS

It's that time of year again! Assessment! Anyone else feel like they are assessing students way more than we're teaching them? Goodness! I have pulled two resources for you to explore. This are websites that host games and review activities that correlate with DIBELS assessments. Great review strategy for students before they take their turn testing!

Take a few moments and test out the activities on both of these sites. The last time I visited them, all of the links were working. I use these activities as both whole-group activities and as a center rotation. Don't tell the kids but I use them also as a reward! :) What they don't know doesn't hurt them! Do you have any great sites to share? Please leave a comment! Don't be shy!

http://teachers.cr.k12.de.us/~galgano/dibel2.htm

http://www.amphi.com/departments/technology/assess/dibels.html

Fraboom!

Stop what you're doing! Read this post quickly and go immediately to this site! I just found out about this site from iLearn Technology and I couldn't wait another minute to pass it along to you. All 12 followers! LOL!

No, anyway this site is called Fraboom! It is simply amazing. New content is being added daily. Content is geared for 6-12 year olds. This is such a perfect site as a reward center or especially for students during summer vacation! There are interactive books & games, but do you want to know what is the most special part about this site? There are LIVE TEACHERS! Ack! Children can go online (with parent/teacher permission of course) and take the daily art challenge. Children draw along with a teacher on Fraboom and can type into a secure chat where the teacher reads and responds to each child. The teacher is talking but the children can only type messages. You do not see the other students' messages. Each day there is a new challenge. My daughter took one look at this site and logged right out of Facebook and joined the art challenge. I cannot wait to go back and explore more of Fraboom. You need to see this site! Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo Activities

Can you believe that it's May??? I'm having a hard time understanding that it is almost time to begin those "end of the year" activities. My district will soon begin our final round of benchmarks and I will be looking for fun and relevant activities to keep my class of first graders entertained while I complete testing.....one child at a time. Don't even get me started on that! Cinco de Mayo will be this Thursday and I have found several activities for our younger students. Sorry, secondary teachers....this post is for elementary! All of these activities are for use on your IWB or computer work station. Enjoy!

Great PowerPoint activities and links to printables and games for your class!








Cute game for younger students. This is a Memory Matching game spoken in Spanish. As you match the tokens, the pinata fills and lowers to the ground. Successful rounds cause the pinata to burst and spill the candy. This game is hosted on the Scholastic site.







Hosted by TheKidzPage, this site has several games for younger students. There are also printable activities such as coloring sheets and puzzles. Watch this site though, there are several ads on the page. Teachers may need to assist students in navigating around this page.

Also...."ask and ye shall receive"! I have 10 followers! Wow! Thank you so much! I hope to build this blog into a site where you can always expect to find great ideas for integrating technology into your classroom. Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you need for your classroom. I'll do my best!

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!

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/

Peter Rabbit

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends! I have time to make a quick post before heading out the door for services so I wanted to share this cute website with you.

Peter Rabbit is a classic children's story and this website ties in beautifully! Children explore this site and play games based on Beatrix Potter's beloved characters. The cutest part is the site is designed as a children's pop-up book! Take a few moments and explore the site. This could be a great resource for a center or reward activity!

http://www.peterrabbit.com/us/index.asp

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

The Lorax

For all of my elementary and middle school teachers, here is a free version of the Lorax! This video is hosted through Google and will be removed April 29, 2011. Remember it's almost Earth Day and give your kids a quick treat!

	Lorax's Save the Trees Game" align="TOP" border="0"> I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I've come here to celebrate Earth Day, so please Come join me and help spread the message I bring. Be a friend to the trees and to each living thing. Playing this game requires the latest version of Shockwave. If you do not currently have this software, you may download it by clicking on the icon below.

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."

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

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

Word Girl

She's.....WORD GIRL! Looking for a great new way to expose your students to more vocabulary? Try PBS Kids' Word Girl! Great cartoons and activities for use in your classroom. Very engaging episodes that your students will enjoy. And....and, and, and.....Word Girl has an online vocabulary competition once a year! Unfortunately, it's already passed. Next year, my class will be registered! :)

http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/

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

Scholastic

Did you know that Scholastic has great online activities perfect for your IWB? I didn't. Now I do! There are fantastic games and more importantly, comprehension activities for use in your classroom. Perfect for SMARTboards, Promethean Boards, and Mimio. Activities range from Pre-K to 12th grade and cover Language Arts, Social Studies, Science & Math, and Learning Games & Teaching Tools. I am most excited about the Science section!

All of these activities are free for teachers. If you are a member, then there is a lot more content available for you. Might be worth the investment. However, go check out the free activities. Here's the link:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/whiteboards/languagearts.htm?eml=TNL/20100105/TNL

Online Math Manipulatives

Here is a site that has a long list of virtual math manipulatives for your IWB. These are just a few of the manipulatives available. You will need the Java plugin for many of these programs.

• Bar Charts
• Base 10 blocks
• Counters
• Patterns
• Fractions
• Money
• Number Lines
• Spinners
• Attribute blocks

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/grade_g_1.html

e-learning for kids

E-learning is a fantastic and free site for elementary students, K-6th. Subjects covered are: Math, Language Arts, Science, Computer Tools, Environmental Skills, Heath, and Life Skills. Activities are brightly colored, engaging, and perfect for your IWB or computer lab! Take time and investigate the site!

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/