Saturday, March 31, 2018

Quickly mute a tab (in chrome)


As Alice Keeler shares in this post, I’ve opened a tab, realized the video is playing, and then frantically look for the volume key (this always seems to happen when I’m another machine and I can never find the mute key).  Use her suggestion and mute the tab!

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Animals and Climate Change




I recently received this email with animal climate change resources:


The complex interaction of biological traits and environmental conditions
that cause a species to be susceptible to climate change and the basics of
the carbon cycle are made simple and understandable through illustrations,
symbols and brief explanatory text. Thoroughly documented to studies from
reliable sources, including the IUCN Climate Change Specialist Group, NASA,
NOAA, the US EPA, and the IPCC, the resource features 25 animals
that highlight the fundamental impacts of greenhouse gases—
causes, effects and risk of extinction—on all forms of life on the planet.


This material is available as a full color wall poster, a 70 page downloadable
PDF presentation, and online on our free educational website at


Enable images to see the poster

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

You can never have too much Mr. Rogers


PBS has a collection of Mr. Rogers resources and videos- when people talk about teaching kindness, he’s the person that jumps up in my mind.  He was ahead of time and has left a legacy that you can use today. Here’s the link to the resources.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Free Art lessons




Artyfactory offers many free art lessons- this might be just the thing for the student struggling with their own talents (or in my case, the lack of!).  For the complete review from TeachersFirst, please click here.

So you don’t think you can code?




But can you copy and paste?  In this blog post from Alice Keeler, she gives several
suggestions to getting started to code in Google. And she is right about the copy
and paste- I did this when I was looking to modify a spreadsheet!

The Met for Kids!


One of the things I found interesting in this art site from the Metropolitan Museum was the section Made by kids.  I viewed several short videos produced by students- it might provide some ideas/inspiration for your own class! Visit Met Kids to get started! For a complete review from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Monday, March 26, 2018

ESL and Drama= Perfect Together




Here’s a site filled with ideas for ESL (and I think it could be adapted for ELA classroom)
to use in your classroom.  From script writing, reader theatre, and improvisation,
there is something for everyone. Check out Drama in the ESL classroom.

For the complete review from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Go on the Blvrd



You know- the online art tour Boulevard  (BLVRD). Here you can explore a variety of museum artworks and read (or listen) to the commentary- I like to listen since I can view the image at the same time.  For a complete review, please see TeachersFirst here.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Drama for all!




Drama Resources contains everything you need for drama class- lesson plans,
warm-ups, and activities.  I thought some of the warm-up activities would
be useful in most classrooms and weren’t restricted to drama!

For a complete review of the site, please see TeachersFirst.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Chrome Music Lab



Want to explore rhythms? Harmony?chords?  Check out the Chrome Music Lab.  For a complete review, please see TeachersFirst here.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

For all the ARTS!



Arts Alive is a site filled with all things music, dance and theatre!  From becoming your own choreographer to an instrument lab, there is something for everyone.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

If you are a novice to Google Forms,



You will want to check out this 5 step blog post from Alice Keeler!  
You will find everything you need to get a successful start in forms.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Monday, March 19, 2018

Using Google Classroom with Parents


While Google Classroom has had the option for guardians to get assignment summaries, you can now use it to send email (and include assignment information).  Once you have the guardian email (and they accept the invitation), just follow Alice Keeler’s directions to send guardian emails.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

When a worksheet will not work



Alice Keeler makes some valid points in her blog post on the quality of learning.  In her brief discussion of Depth of Knowledge, she strives to engage her students and add those 4 Cs (Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication) to the work.  She shares a sample project (and it is much more interesting than a worksheet.

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Active and Healthy



In this nutrition and physical activity program from Discovery Education,
educators can help students develop lifelong healthy lifestyles.  
Please click here for the details on Fuel Up to Play 60!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Quizizz



Last week, I shared Quizizz with some new teachers.  While you cannot
beat Kahoot! for a game, Quizizz provides more options and deeper
learning opportunity. With the questions on their devices and the
numerous teacher options, Quizizz has added multiple correct
options as well.  Alice Keeler recently shared her thoughts here.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

The Five Es



Alice Keeler shares her view of the 5Es in her blog post here.  
How could this strategy help your lesson plans?

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

SMART Lab



If you are looking for a general overview of the SMART Lab activities,
spend a few minutes with this video from SMART.  It’s interesting to see
the activities in action as well as the manage content feature and slide
editing processes.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Monday, March 12, 2018

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Giving every student a voice



Here’s a blog post from PearDeck that might help you see why
every student should have a voice- and how easy it can be
using PearDeck.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Friday, March 9, 2018

Need material on Daylight Saving Time?




Here’s a slew of materials on Daylight Savings Time from
Discovery Education.  Given the last two snow days
(and I know many of you have benchmark tests), maybe
this is something for next week.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Everything you wanted to know about Google classroom



Alice Keeler has compiled the ultimate Google Classroom instructional
videos- and they are short and targeted to your needs.  Don’t be afraid
of the number (almost 50) - they are short and will help you
answer specific questions.  Please click here for the playlist.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

International Water Day


Click here to get all the information on monitoring Earth’s most important
resources.  International Water Day is this month, these yet projects will
continue through the end of the year.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Stop Motion with Google Slides


After watching Matt Miller’s video, I was motivated to try my own Stop Motion video using Google Slides and Screencastify.  While Matt used shapes in Google Slides, I created a character in StoryBoardThat and cut and pasted that image into my Google Slides.  While I didn’t add sound, your students could add sound (as well as a webcam) to their product. If you are interested, Matt’s directions are easy to follow and very complete.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Ideas for National Reading Month

This week’s edition of TeachersFirst highlights a variety of resources for March and National Reading Month.  From LIttle House on the Prairie  to leveled reading (Dreamreader) to The Cat in the Hat.  See all the resources here.

Friday, March 2, 2018

What can you do with a can?


In new Discovery Education lessons you will find a variety of lessons related to aluminum cans and the recycle process.  Lessons are sorted by grade level and include easy to follow lesson plans.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Real World for HS Science and Math




MIT has launched a new site - here is the press release form Big Deal Media:


The Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed BLOSSOMS
(Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies) to help
students engage in a meaningful way with STEM subjects. BLOSSOMS
uses free video segments to build on math and science fundamentals
by relating abstract concepts to the real world. Educators and
professionals contribute their knowledge and learning to an open
database that anyone can access. Every 50-minute lesson is a
complete resource that includes video segments, a teacher’s guide,
downloadable handouts, and a list of additional online resources
relevant to the topic. BLOSSOMS uses a “teaching duet pedagogy”
model, in which a teacher will help students solve problems
before passing the baton to another teacher for a brief video lesson.

From my quick survey- it looked pretty interesting.  While it is geared
to grades 9-12- I’m sure some you could modify resources to work
with younger students.