Folk tales and culture (grades 3-5)

For the link to this ReadWriteThink resource, please click here.

H.S.I. (hear the CSI theme song?)

Historical Scene Investigation has 13 cases for your students to solve.  Filled with primary documents, turn your students in sleuths to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  For the complete post from Free Technology for Teachers, please click here.

If you love Kahoot!,

Then you must try Quizalize.  Similar to Kahoot! yet you don’t need a projector and you can set up the quiz and let the students complete the quiz on their own.  You can see the results (per student as well as class-wide) and can quickly pinpoint which questions caused the most trouble.  There are not as many premade quizzes (at least not yet and there is also an option to purchase quizzes). For a thorough review of Quizalize, please see Amy Roediger’s blog post here (from A Lever and a Place to Stand).

Tag Clouds in Google Docs

For those Wordle fans, you will happy to know you can create word clouds in Google Docs using the Add -On Tag Cloud Generator.  All you need is 50 words.  For complete information, please see the post by Richard Byrne in Free Technology for Teachers.

23 +1 +90 =

1 Halloween delight!  Not the answer you were expecting?  Well, when we took 23 kindergarten students (and their Halloween drawings) added 1 iPad and 90 minutes later we had the following video.  The kids (and teachers) loved using ChatterPix to add their voices to their artwork.  Special thanks to Mrs. Cibrian and Mrs. Szkodny  for their enthusiasm and support.  Stay tuned for the sequel (“What I am thankful for…”) coming next month!

Making tables colorful

Want to add a little color to your Google tables in Google Docs?   Use the Add-On Table Formatter (here’s the post from Free Technology for Teachers as well as more detailed information here).

Managing your tabs!

I have a terrible habit of having too many tabs open at once!  Rather than shifting back and forth, split your tabs into two windows.  Please see this post from The Gooru for complete details or watch their video.

Chrome extensions for all!

In Tom Mullaney’s recent post (Sustainable Teaching), he shares Google chrome extensions that while geared for special education students, using the principles of Universal Design for Learning, they might be useful for all students.  Give them a try- you can add these to your account!

Halloween for all!

From carving pumpkins to fright-filled spelling games, mathematical ghosts to logic games, Halloween Activities page  ( from Classroom Tech) has something for everyone!  

Even More Halloween Activities

Need more treats for Halloween in your classroom?  Check out Richard Byrne’s post here in Free Technology for Teachers.  Seven activities for all learners!

Google Forms and automations

Here’s a nice post from Synergyse  (geared to educators) on how to make the best use of Google forms for assessments.  From Flubaroo to Form Limiter, you will suggestions to automate your classroom needs.

Flat Stanley’s cousin (sort of)

If you know weather, then you should know Owlie Skywarn.  No, he is not a new anchor on the Weather Channel but rather the internet spokesperson for the National Weather Service.  Like Flat Stanley, you can print Owlie out and photograph him with your weather.  The site is full of other resources for younger elementary students.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

For all your Halloween needs

Click here for link!

As the world turns

GeaCron allows you to look at a map (based on area) at any time period (back to 3000 BC).  Here are three screenshots of North America (starting in 1774, 100 years apart).  

For the visual learners, this might be a great start to explore the many factors when countries are born (and also die). There is an app for this site (yet it is not free).

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Great opportunity from Discovery Education

Great opportunity from Discovery Education for MS/HS students! on 11/18 at 1 pm RACING EXTINCTION #StartWith1Thing Virtual Field Trip Register here! Take your middle and high school students on an inspirational journey live from the Smithsonian's National Zoo to explore the science behind anthropogenic mass extinction and meet those dedicating their lives to saving species and transforming communities along the way. From whale sharks to golden lion tamarins to scarlet macaws, your classroom will get an insider's view of cutting-edge conservation efforts and in the process, realize their potential to make a difference.

INTERACTIVE LESSONS Before the Virtual Field Trip, introduce your students to the importance of biodiversity with interactive lesson plans and classroom activities. Interactive lessons are aligned to national standards and feature video clips from the acclaimed documentary. Access Resources

Who are/were the most influential ones?

Pantheon is a fascinating site that compares and ranks globally known people.  You can sort based on country (and city) of birth, by profession, and era.  I think this would be interesting in social studies (who are the most famous (based on pageviews and an MIT algorithms).  I created this search (see image)- clearly the popes made religious figures the largest category. By hovering over a category, you get the details.

Might be interesting to ask your students to rank or guess the most well known person and then have them compare their answer to Pantheon (and defend or rebut the results).

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

From where they came (and went)

This interactive traces the flow of immigrants for the past two years.  The Global Flow of Immigrants allows you to see the movement in populations based on the immigration.  While there are some static graphics ( if you scroll down on the page), I found the interactive interesting.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Internet safety a la Disney

Internet safety + Indiana Jones + Mickey Mouse = Swell Island.  This online game for the K-6 set helps student learn digitial citizneship will tracking down gems on a tropical island.  It includes a teacher/parent guide as well as other resources.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Google Apps for Special Education

This blog post from the training group Synergyse highlights applications that would support special education teachers.  Voice typing in my personal favorites.

DENapalooza Sayreville

This weekend, Sayreville was proud to host a stop on the DENapalooza 2015 tour.  My special thanks to all the educators who attended as well as our speakers and support staff.  Special to Emily Wirth and Patti Duncan (from Discovery Education) for making this possible.  I hope you enjoy the video highlights.

Mental Health Issues

Depression Quest is a high school mental health resource that allows students to explore a variety of issues.  It is an interactive game told in a story format. For the complete post from Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers, please click here.

Explore the ecosystem

This new PBS site explores three ecosystems in Ecosystem Explorer. View their world (vulture, wolf, or shark) through videos, interactives, and infographics.  Geared grades 4-9, it is related to a new PBS series Earth- A new wild.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

The Brain

The Mysteries of the Brain (a NBC site) has a series of related videos.  According to the site, lesson plans will be coming.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Scrabble with numbers

If you are a Scrabble fan who loves math, you will love Tux Math Scrabble.  You know the rules- just like the letter tiles only you need to use your math skills to succeed.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Walk a mile in their shoes

When I first saw The Great Human Odyssey-A World of Extremes, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to visit it.  But am I glad I did!  It is a breaktaking site that allows you to visit a variety of remote locations.  Explore the world of these nomads- at sea, in the desert or in the arctic.  The videos made me feel as I was transported to their world.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Think about water in a new way

Every Last Drop is a water interactive to help students see water in their everyday life.  Scroll down to see all the scenes in this site.  Suggested for grades 3-9. Watch the video to see water saving tips.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Daily 5 for K-5 Technology

This must be the week for Daily 5 sites- this is the third one!  Daily Five Technology includes a variety of web and tech- related resources.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Daily 5 for the K-2 set

Looking to integrate technology into the Daily 5 for your kindergarten to second graders?  Check out Technology and the Daily Five for K-2. I would really appreciate comments from teachers in this area- this content and grade level is not in my wheelhouse!  Looked like it had interesting sites and was well organized.

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

For the daily five

Here’s a Pinterest board on all things Daily 5/Cafe (since this is not open at school, you will have to access it from another location).

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Coding and Music

Here’s a Google Docs add in that will help your inner musician.  VexTab will allow you can write music online.  Here is the complete post from Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers.  Here is a free Vex Tab tutorial.

Things that go bump in the night

In the mood for some Halloween poetry?  Shake Up Learning has created (and shared) this Google Drawing for magnetic poetry for Halloween.  Share the template with your students and let the fun begin!

Forms in Classroom

Alice Keeler has written a marvelous   post on how to use Google Forms in Classroom.  These could quizzes or information gathering tools.  I like the idea of including video in the classroom assignment as well. And if a form is the only thing attached for the student, the assignment will be marked as done when the form is submitted! (and you can see the results from Classroom)

TED- ED (and the War of the Roses)

I often watch TED talks and have found the TED - Ed site a great resource for videos, lesson plans, and discussions. In a recent post from Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers), he explains how to sort by grade level. Take a few minutes to explore TED Ed- you might be surprised by both the videos and the resources. I’m not a big Game of Thrones viewer, but I did find this video (on the War of the  Roses) interesting.

Make your own sorting game!

Dustbin is a new game from ClassTools.  Create up to  four categories (themes) and then items. You can then play the game, save it as a web page or embed it in a website.  Click here to play the sample I created.  It does track your time (and will not allow you to place an item in the wrong can).  This might be a fun sorting project (reminded me of a BrainPOP game Sortify).

For the complete post from TeachersFirst, please click here.

Assess with mobile devices

Richard Byrne (in Free Technology for Teachers) has a brief post with three suggestions for using mobile devices in class.  

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

If you are in Middle School, next Thursday (10/15) might be the day to get the answer! Join Discovery Education for their virtual field trip to the Creighton Brothers' farm in Indiana.  Please click here for more information (lesson plans and activities) and to register.

The Learning Network

The New York Times Learning Network is one of my favorite sites- I always try the news quiz.  This site is geared to teenagers with many opportunities for teens to comment.  It also contains topic lesson plans, word of the day, and various skills. Sign up for their newsletter and never miss an issue.

ELA and Math lessons

Have you tried LearnZillion?  If you teach math or ELA, it is worth a look.  This free site has standard based lessons with many video tutorials- good for many types of learners as well as extra support. A third grade teacher told me "I like how now you can assign topics and kids can watch on their own. Good for extra practice." How could your students use LearnZillion?

Can you hear me now?

Here’s any easy way to record.  Speak Pipe Voice allows you to record up to 5 minutes and store it on their server for 3 months.  Here is a sample I created.  You can link it on a blog or embed it.  For the complete post, see Richard Byrne’s Free Technology for Teachers. This worked perfectly at home- haven't had a chance to try it yet at school.