Recycle the cell phone

Please click here for the full sized graphic.

This infographic  Cell Phone Recycling: Help Yourself to A Little Humanity might be a good start to help students understand how cell phones impact the environment.    I also thought it was one of the clearer infographics and something to help students see how information can be presented visually.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

DEN Ambassador Kick Off!

My special thanks to a talented group of educators who joined me this morning for the beginning of our spring DEN Ambassador program.  I was impressed with their enthusiasm and as well as their paper slides.  Take a look to see their expectations for the program and their own personal growth!

Once upon a midnight dreary,

Please click here for the link.

I’ve never been a big  Edgar Allan Poe fan, but on the anniversary of The Raven, you might want to explore this interactive version from TeachersFirst.  Click on the highlighted words in the text for either a word definition ot the poetic device employed.

The Underground Railroad

From Twitter:

Travel back in time to 1860 & discover the Underground Railroad with this online activity. https://t.co/sCFrteZ5SP pic.twitter.com/qF8lJFP0s9

— Scholastic Teachers (@ScholasticTeach) January 29, 2016

20 Tips with Google Classroom

Click here for presentation.

Alice Keeler’s blog posts are always helpful and this one (20 Tips to Transfer Your Class with Google Apps) is no exception.  View her slide presentation for ideas for your classroom.  While all of her suggestions might not apply, I think you will find something you can use!

Google Class- top 20 hits!

Whether you are on Google Classroom or thinking about getting started, you will enjoy this blog post from Learn2Earn  with the top 20 reasons to use Google Classroom.  This post collected a variety of feedback from digital notetaking to improving reading comprehension.

Audio books

From twitter:

Grades 9-12 students keep daily diaries of how & when they listen to audio texts then analyze their findings: https://t.co/MT4E8IPEHf

— ReadWriteThink.org (@RWTnow) January 19, 2016

E.A.K. (really saving the kittens)

Erase All Kittens invites you to learn basic coding skills while helping to free kittens!  While this is only a demo, you can still play (and learn). The first lesson covers tags and it move from there.  Would be great as a station or on a whiteboard.  It’s very interactive and would make a great introduction to coding for younger students.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Wonder if this is what my cat is thinking?

Nature Cat  (aka Fred) is a PBS cartoon designed to introduce students (K-4 would be my guess) to nature.  In the course of their outdoor excursions, there is also a healthy dose of problem solving skills.  Each video is short (about 12 minutes) and comes with associated standards. It would be fun to have your students join the situation and have them take notes to help Fred and his friends solve the problem.

Remix YouTube videos-(Lavallette in the summer)

Looking for an easy way to mix/mash Youtube videos?  Try DragOnTape.  Create a free account and let the mixing begin.  Search for video, drag onto your timeline and then edit.  Since I’m waiting for the crew to wake up (so we can shovel) and I am tired of looking at snow, I created a remix of warmer times.  You can link or embed your product.

For the complete blog from Free Technology for Teachers, please click here. Richard give some creative suggestions for class.

What's the poster really saying (RWT)

From Twitter:

Secondary students analyze World War II posters to explore how argument, persuasion & propaganda differ: https://t.co/rZf65lhLQO

— ReadWriteThink.org (@RWTnow) January 18, 2016

Storyboardthat goes to high school

Made with Storyboard That



Made with Storyboard That



Made with Storyboard That

Last month I joined Dr. Troutman’s class at the high school.  Her classes used Storyboardthat to demonstrate their understanding of their current reading (either 1984 or Othello).  Here are three samples from her students.  While I couldn't make then any larger- I hope you can see the types of detail and information that you can use in Storyboardthat application.

Who said the dead cannot speak?

Here's a  project from Caileigh Giovinco's students.  Her students used ChatterPIX (a free app) to record their information about King Tutankhamen.  While the recordings are limited to 30 seconds, they merged two  sessions to tell his story.  What story could your students tell?

MLK with Make-A-Map

If  I say BrainPOP and all you think about are the cartoon videos- you are missing some of their newest features.  Make-A-Map debuted last year and allows you to create a concept map online in BrainPOP.  You can select images, screen captures, key words  as well as adding your own text. This is a sample from a 6th grade class today.  

Want to get started?  There are numerous BrainPOP resources here.  Or watch the Concept Mapping video to become an expert.  At this time, the Make-A-Map tool is only available in BrainPOP (and not in BrainPOP Jr).

More than a Map

In this interesting lesson plan (from the New York Times Learning Center), explore how maps can be used to to help students understand global events.  From understanding map vocabulary to using history to view current events, your students will hone both map and critical thinking skills.

Political Cartoons

From Twitter:

How do cartoonists shape their message? Secondary students analyze the Purpose & Meaning of Political Cartoons https://t.co/KhbvLTyYGF

— ReadWriteThink.org (@RWTnow) January 14, 2016

How can your students express themselves?

Caileigh Giovenco  (SMS) shared these student projects from her 6th grade world history class.  Students created either an interactive timelines or constructed a poster they  could wear!  What could your students do with their creativity?

Introduction to Visual Thinking

Sketchnoting seems to all the rage- using graphics to take notes.  BrainDoodles provides step by step directions on taking notes using graphics. This would be perfect for the visual learners in grades 5 and up.

For more information on this post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

NewseumED

Get the most from the news including lesson plans, special collections, and information on First Amendment Rights.  Visit NewseumED and make a free account.

For more information on this post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

What Google can replace

When I saw this post on Facebook, I had no idea how closely the author’s list would match my own.  10 Things Google Apps Replaces (from the Instructional Fluency blog by Kevin Zahner)  is a quick list of applications that you can forget once you go Google.

Lessons to honor Dr. King

Discovery Education had created a collection of Dr. King resources for various grade levels.  Please click here to view the material.

New to Google Docs?

Alice Keeler has shared her top five list for all new to Google Docs.  Don’t worry about becoming an expert- her five tips will get you started in the right directions!

Kiddle- search engine for the little ones

While on Facebook last week, I saw this post from Robyn Thiesssen (Canadian DEN STAR) about Kiddle.  This is a very visual search engine geared for the younger user.Take a minute to to read their about section to get a better understanding about their query features.  I think Kiddle would be great for younger learners.

Sharalike

I saw this slideshow application last summer and created a one but don’t think I published it.  This week I saw it in TeachersFirst, and decided to try it again.  Sharalike is similar to Animoto but a little easier and with less options.  Upload the images, select one of several backgrounds and a limited musical choices.  You can embed or link it.  I can see it working well with a wide range of grade levels.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

So how do we see?

The Human Eye provides a step by step demonstration of our sight.  Change the focus (or brightness) and follow the steps to truly understand the process.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Finding a great (global) book

Looking for recent student book titles?  Check out OmniLibros and search by keyword (and then by grade levels.).  You will find recent books (in the last 5 years) that have a global focus.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Teaching Math?

And looking for inquiry ideas?  Try Inquiry Math.  Select the prompt and explore the lessons.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Baseball and Music- perfect together!

From Artsedge, here’s a fun activity that mixes baseball and classical music.  With Perfect Pitch, take the field, select your era and begin to explore.  This would work well whole class (with a projector) or as a station.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Getting started with design?

Here’s a great place to get started.  Visit KidsThinkDesign for an overview, thinking like a designer,  host of projects, career advice, and more. Probably best for grades 4 and up.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Looking for online math tools (K-5)?

While I know the district subscribes to several online math tools, I always keep my eye out of new free ones. Zearn is based for K-5 students (current common core lesson plans are only for grades 2-4 with the rest coming in the fall).  Create a free account, create student accounts and go! Perhaps you could use this a blended learning option in your classroom.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Forget paper reading logs

Reading Glue is a free site that will allow your students to track their reading online.  It is easy to sign up and invite parents to join.  After you create an account you will get an email with directions on how to get started.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

The News from Mesopotamia!

From Middle School  Educator Caileigh Giovenco:
After my students learned about Mesopotamia they were given the task to create news reports for three different areas that we studied.  An ancient weather report, an historical interview, and a breaking news event.  I then challenged my students to research current facts about the area where Mesopotamia is located presently.  They conducted news reports on the same areas. The students wrote a researched, wrote their script, filmed, and edited their own projects.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them!