Inventions, Snappy Words, Footnotes…

Visit Invention at Play to learn how play – the ordinary and everyday “work of childhood” – connects to the creative impulse of both historic and contemporary inventors. The Invention Playhouse offers opportunities for solving puzzles and games while Inventors’ Stories shares info on how some important inventors got started.

Snappy Words is an interesting online visual dictionary…it shows the connections between related terms and concepts.  Works great as a writing tool, but be aware that students can look up “bad” words.  However, now that I think about it, I did the same thing with the huge paper-based dictionary on the back shelf when I was in 5th grade.

Get your students to TryScience. This site has simulations, games, and teacher resources for sharing science topics with your students.

Add Footnote.com to your list of resources for primary documents. Browse by era or event…there are over 70,000 documents!  Also check out EyeWitness to History, a similar site I ran across this week.

Use Math TV as a extra resource for your students who could stand to see a few more examples…or for parents who can’t quite remember Algebra.

Constitution, Commercials, Submit a WWW

I hope everyone had a great First Week…now full speed ahead! To help with the observance of Constitution Day on September 17, Berrien RESA has posted links to a variety of online resources that can be used at all grade levels. Commercials can be used in History and Writing, as well as other disciplines.  AdViews is a digital archive of thousands of vintage television commercials dating from the 1950s to the 1980s.  Check out these Old Spice ads from the 60s and compare them to today’s Old Spice commercials.  What’s changed? I know I’ve shared this before, but if you have an interactive whiteboard you need to add Teachers Love SMART Boards to your list of resources.  You don’t have to have a SMART brand whiteboard to find amazing activities, resources, and strategies for using your board effectively. TypeWith.me is a cool site that has a lot of potential for collaboration.  Create an online document, invite others, and then everyon can type simultaneously.  Great for classroom brainstorming.  I love the Time Slider button which replays everything in the order it was typed. Here’s a demo video. Sorry it’s in YouTube, I couldn’t find one anywhere else. Submit a Weekly Web Wonder I’m always on the lookout for new Web Wonders to share.  If you’ve found an online resource or tool that is useful to you, consider sharing it via the Weekly Web Wonder Online Submission Form (ta-da!).

Secrets, Prompters, Tornadoes…

If your students give oral presentations, perhaps you could incorporate EasyPrompter.  It’s an application that works like a teleprompter…you know, the ones the important people utilize for their press conferences and announcements.

We officially missed Tornado Week (thank you Spring Break), but that doesn’t make Into the Tornado any less relevant. Experience a tornado from the inside…from the relative safety of your own classroom.

Elementary teachers should check out SecretBuilders, a web site where students can learn and interact in a controlled virtual world.  This site uses a Teacher Console that allows you to create accounts for your students.

Many of you use Google Docs to create documents and spreadsheets.  You can now create and collaborate on Drawings. Think of several students working simultaneously to create and share diagrams, concept maps, or flow charts.  Cool!

Here is a list of links covering various topics you might be discussing on Earth Day, which is Thursday.  Or you could use them other days, and make everyday an Earth Day.

History, Physics, Bio…it’s all here

If you teach history, then check out Teaching History with Technology. Lesson plans, activities, tutorials, podcasts…these resources and more are available.

The Physics Classroom is a great resource for all levels of physics students.  Mostly covers forces and motion, but there’s some other interactives and simulations as well.

PhycoTech is a company in St. Joseph that focuses on aquatic analysis.  They have tons of online photos to check out…all types of algae and zooplankton for you biology teachers to ogle.

Alright, government teachers, you’ll be happy to know that C-SPAN now has archival video footage….every C-SPAN program aired since 1987. Now that’s a lot of very dry TV.

I haven’t forgotten you, Language Arts teachers.  Here’s a dictionary for kids…it is a Math Dictionary for Kids, but it’s still a dictionary.

Qik, ipadio, Purple…

Lots of information to share from last week’s MACUL conference.

Berrien RESA is collaborating with Kalamazoo RESA and Calhoun ISD to offer an exciting new program: 21 Things for the 21st Century Educator.  This program combines online resources with live web conferencing to help teachers gain skills using new technology tools. We will be hosting a face to face kickoff at Berrien RESA on Tuesday, April 20 from 4:00 – 6:00.  All participants will need to register through Calhoun ISD: http://pdreg.calhounisd.org.  Credit available: 4 graduate credits or 12 SB-CEUs.

I really liked ipadio.  It’s a site that lets you record using your phone…then posts that recording online for you or anyone to listen to.  It’s free and easy. Record homework, assignments, instructions, greetings, sub plans…you name it!

If you have a phone that shoots video, you should take a look at Qik.  With Qik, you can broadcast live from your phone over the Internet.  It’s one of those clever tools they’re making these days.

For students who need help with Algebra take a look at Purplemath.  Not sure why algebra is purple…it makes most people see red.

The History Channel is providing a DVD copy of America The Story of US to every school in the nation.  “premiering on April 25 at 9pm/8c — America The Story of US is a six week event that provides a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation.

Our Courts, Science Interactives…Snow!

Use Our Courts as a great civics resource.  Included among the games are many lesson plans written for all grade levels.

You have to click a few layers down to get to the good stuff, but LearningScience.org does have lots of links to online science interactives.

Today’s snow reminds me of one of my favorite sites…and I probably haven’t shared it for a while.  SnowCrystals.com.

If you’re interested in exploring ways in which your students can write online with blogs, check out Kidblog.  You can set up controlled blogs for your students without them needing an email address.  Kidblog defaults to allowing only classmates to view blogs.

Mathtrain, Financial Football, SPARK…

Your students should hop on the Mathtrain to watch videos created by students that describe how to solve a wide variety of math problems.  A great learning tool….

Help your students learn personal finance within the context of the NFL…play Financial Football.

The History Channel has created a Black History Month site with videos, timelines, maps, facts, etc.

For all you STEM educators…check out the SPARK web site.  SPARK stands for Starter Programs for the Advancement of Robotic Knowledge.  Lots of cool activities and resources.

Here’s a lovely Groundhog Day resources for you…Groundhog Day and Possum Night.

QuietTube, Docs, Doc Cameras…

If you like watching YouTube videos, but don’t like all the “noise” on the page, check out QuietTube.  It also supports Viddler and Vimeo, which are often not blocked at school.

If you have a Google Docs account you will soon have the ability to upload any type of file under 250MB.  You can only edit office-type files, but can store and access any of them from any computer.  It’s free online storage.

If you have a document camera, or are thinking about how you could use one, take a look at this page which lists 50 Ways to Use a Document Camera.

Even if you don’t have the cash, you have dreams. Take a look at this new Epson projector that makes any surface an interactive whiteboard.

STEM, Zeitgeist…

Happy New Year! Even though many of us put it off yesterday, reality is back in full force today!  Welcome back.

The STEM Education Resource Center from PBS is full of resources to help you teach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  They should think of an acronym for all those.

The heading on the MyCalculus site reads, “Welcome to MyCalculus – the place to solve YOUR calculus problems!” I just solved one of my own that’s been nagging at me.

Catch the Science Bug focuses on science literacy, careers, and more.

Take a look at the Google Zeitgeist for 2009.  It shows search trends for the entire year.  It’s kind of like a current events review.

Shake, Interact, and Weebly…

The University of Illinois has put together Shake, Rattle, and Slide…a great site for information, activities, and teacher resources related to earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers

Interactives provides educators and students with strategies, content, and activities that can enhance and improve students’ skills in a variety of curricular areas.

I’ve mentioned Weebly before…it helps you create easy web site.  Now there’s Weebly for Education with which your students can create their own sites that are still under your control.
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Here’s something for you Social Studies people…The History Channel has a great site covering the history of Christmas.