Library of Congress - FREE Resources for Teachers

If you are looking for quality classroom resources, check out the Library of Congress website for teachers.  The url is: http://www.loc.gov/teachers


The layout of the site "keeps it simple" and is easy to navigate. 

 As you can see from this screen shot, you will find classroom materials and opportunities for your own professional learning.  There are 15 modules of online PD for teachers that take from 45 - 180 minutes to complete.

 You will also find classroom material including: lesson plans, themed resources, primary resources, presentations, activities, and the LOC's collection specific resources.  The classroom materials for language arts, social studies and library/technology are searchable by topic and era.  Lessons are aligned to state standards.  I like the searchable lesson database that allows you to choose state, grade and subject.

Teachers are always looking for quality images that are not blocked in schools.  You will find that on the LOC site and teachers are allowed to use the materials for their classroom.  On the additional resources tab you will find another collection of information for music, science, newspapers, the Veterans History Project, and more...

This is a great site that contains relevant material and activities that will help you add rigor to your classroom lessons.  Let me know how you use it and share your suggestions for using the site as a comment here. 

Check out - Myths and Legends Story Creator

I've been recharging for a week and haven't been posting although I have been researching appropriate web 2.0 tools and innovative teaching strategies.  Here is something for you to consider if you teach upper elementary or older grades/classes.  There are a lot of comics web 2.0 tools you will find and what I am sharing supports my previous posts about digital storytelling tools and strategies. 

Myths and Legends Story Creator is one of those tools that allows students to create their storyboard while developing their story online.  I like the way this British site is laid out and the "simple" way you click to add a background, characters, objects, speech bubbles, and slide a bar to re-size or rotate objects. 

There is a HELP tab at the bottom of the page.  When you click it, explanations and directions are provided to each part of the story creator by rolling your mouse on each section of the site.  "Simple" for kids to figure out how to manage the site with few questions.  When you are done click "help" again and the explanations stop and you can resume creating.  You type the text at the bottom of each page. 

You can create and print stories using Myths and Legends  without a log in but, there are additional features if you join the site with an email and password.  You can record audio on each scene.
You can also save your stories with a log in.

 The story creator does require Flash Player.  Here is the link to the requirements for Myths and Legends.  http://myths.e2bn.org/about/info483-technical-requirements.html

Here is the link to teacher information including registering your school for the site.  http://myths.e2bn.org/teachers/  You can read and decide if that is something you want to do but, students do not need to log in to use and develop a story. 

I hope you find this creative site useful and supportive.  I would love to hear your feedback on the site and know how your students like it.  Enjoy!

Interactive and Engaging With "Hooda" Math - Word - Brain

There are some very creative, engaging free math tools available for students at all levels.  I love that people share new "finds" and I will keep blogging about ones that fit my "keeping it simple" criteria.  I know how frustrating it is when directions are missing or the games don't work the way you expect. 

Created by a middle school teacher, Hooda Math is easy to use and has well-designed interactives, games, tutorials, and movies on a number of topics for older grade students.  There is really something for all grade levels on this site.  The developer, Michael Edlavitch, created these free games to engage students in learning math through play.  You will find games, tutorials, worksheets to support the games, and movies on math concepts.
The games can be used for skill development, home learning, lab activities, or in afterschool programs. 
On the math games tab, you will find geometry, arithmetic and logic games.  They range from early elementary to middle school level. 

I love the Smartboard Games page.  Teachers who use IWB's should check out these interactive lessons. 









 In addition to the math site, you will also find
Hooda Word with reading, typing and word games. Also, Hooda Brain.
This site really offers something for all teachers and is worth exploring.  I think you will find it a quality site for your students.

Start exploring and find one game or tutorial that will work for you and try it with your students.  They will let you know whether or not they find the games helpful and engaging.

Share your experience in a comment to grow the professional learning community.  I look forward to hearing what you think about Hooda - Math - Word  - Brain!

Article + Video = Using Technology For Professional Learning

I'm working with teachers on expanding their assessment options and in doing some research, I read this article from Edutopia.  The title is: Ten Takeaway Tips for Using Authentic Assessment in Your School.
What I liked is that the online article has embedded video examples of some of the tips. Check out the article and the videos.  

Videos are one way to authentically assess your students and yourself.  Using digital video cameras, like the Flip Camera that can be purchased for $100 - $200, make developing quality videos easy.  If you haven't tried videotaping your students, give it a try.  It is a "keeping it simple" way to integrate technology in so many different ways and provides rich assessment data for you and your students.


Share your thoughts in a comment. 

Again But Slower - Have You Ever Needed A Simple Version?

Again But Slower is one of those sites that fills a need.  In this case, the website provides Wikipedia articles at an easier reading level.  The articles are not as complex and are intended for children and people learning English.

I realize that teachers have various opinions of Wikipedia as a research source but, it is a resource that most students use.  However, Wikipedia articles are usually written at a high reading level, leaving younger students, English language learners or students with a reading disability unable to comprehend and work with the written material on the website.  Again But Slower simplifies the material and lowers the reading level of many Wikipedia articles with one click!  They know how to "keep it simple."  Teachers frequently complain that students don't know how to search for facts or research a topic.  Try this tool and see if it engages your students.

Here is an example of a search for "oceans" with the original on the left and simple article on the right. If you click the words, you just see your preferred article.

 

Check out Again But Slower and see if it could meet a need for your students or for you as you as a lesson resource.  

Quicklyst is a simple to use tool that I think teachers and students need to try.  It was created by a high school student and I have included an interview with Shantanu Bala.  He gets the need to keep it simple, exactly what I try to do with this blog.

Simply, Quicklyst allows you to take outline-style notes online and while you are typing your notes, you can get definitions from Duck-Duck Go and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and link to information from Wikipedia (he says he will expand partner sites.)  Students can begin using the tool immediately and you only need a user name and password to create an account and you do not need an email address.
Quicklyst allows students to save notes, print, download, or send notes to a mobile devise. 

 
Here is the link to the getting started guide.  http://www.quicklyst.com/guide
This tool is very new but from what I see, it is engaging, simple to learn and can provide a necessary option for students to create study guides, note lists, collaborative question lists, review sheets, and more.  I also like that if you are a Kindle or mobile devise user, Quicklyst mobile has an app that links your account - anytime, anywhere learning!

An Interview with Shantanu Bala, the high school student/developer of a new Web 2.0 note taking tool, Quicklyst.  I think this young man has a bright future.  You may also want to share his inventiveness with your students.

Try Quicklyst and share your thoughts in a comment. 

Google Art Project - Technology Rocks!

Google's new Art Project http://www.googleartproject.com allows you access to the art collection in museums around the world.  This is one of those sites you need to see to appreciate.  I haven't shared many technology resources for arts teachers, but the Google Art Project is an example of how technology can bring paintings to life for you and your students. 

It's somewhat like Google Earth but with paintings on the walls of museums.  You can pan the room, zoom, find out information about each painting, see museum floor plans, post links of pictures to social networking sites, and build your own art collection, if you have a Google account.

There is a FAQ page that includes videos, including a visitor's guide.  This would be a good way to introduce the Art Project to students.  The FAQ discusses copyright protection of the images and Google's terms of use.  It is important that students understand copyright as it applies to paintings - a great opportunity to discuss fair use of images. 
The ability to build a collection of online art is very cool.  I hope you check out the Google Art Project and please share it with any art teacher you know.
Here is one example of a van Gogh I like.

Painting Details

IXL Math - Free Dynamic, Fun, Interactive Practice

IXL Math provides online, engaging math problems for students from Pre-K through 8th grade.  You can access dozens of skills for Pre-K through 2 and more than 200 skills from grades 3-8.  The ISL Math site provides links to state standards and the Common Core Standards.  The site keeps it simple with an easy to navigate interface. 

Although there is an available subscription to this site that tracks student progress and provides reports, all of the interactive skills practice I've shared are available free and without a log in.

This is a robust collection of examples that cover so much curriculum content.  The other thing I like about the site is that when you get a wrong answer, you can click an explanation of the proper solution to the problem.
Here is an example from 5th grade fractions.

Check out IXL Math and see if it will help your students practice the skills you teach them.

Share your thoughts about this tool in the comments and pass the site on to a colleague.

Qwiki - A Multimedia Learning Adventure

Qwiki is a new online multimedia encyclopedia that you must see to appreciate.  You can easily view and hear multimedia presentations on many topics by searching for your topic of interest.  Here is the Qwiki for the Castillo De San Marcos, in my favorite city of St. Augustine, FL.  Enjoy this "new" learning experience!  The site "keeps it simple" and you will navigate and learn its features quickly.

After you watch a Qwiki, you can embed it as I have done in this blog.  You can also get a link to the presentation so you can build a list of Qwiki's for your classroom lessons.
I love the fact that you can hear the narration as you read along. This provides another tool for your ELL students and those with reading disabilities. While watching the Qwiki presentation, you can click on a picture and see the source, along with related Qwiki's on the topic. The narration stops when you click one of the pictures and resumes when you click out of it. I also appreciate the simplicity of seeing the image source as a quick way to demonstrate proper citation of images to students.

There are Qwikis on many historical topics, along with topics of personal interest.  History teachers could check the site to support textbook topics. If your students are not able to take their textbooks home, Qwiki could supplement and extend your lessons, anywhere and anytime.  Because the topics are wide ranging, this tool can be used by all teachers.  I checked out the Qwiki's on simple machines and they were informational and engaging.

Qwiki allows you (and your students) a new way to experience information.  I have included their mission.  In previous blog posts, I've written about a number of  digital storytelling tools that teachers can use.  Add Qwiki to your storytelling toolkit! It is a new, engaging way to learn about a topic.

The ultimate goal is for subscribers to create their own Qwiki's, so stay tuned.
Qwiki features link.  http://blog.qwiki.com/2010/10/21/welcome-to-qwiki/


I am enjoying my Qwiki experience so far and I see tremendous potential for it's use in schools.  I can't wait to begin sharing this with educators.  Check it out and share your thoughts about using it.

Do you think Qwiki will become a verb as has happened with Google?

Know It All - Interactives for Every Subject and Level

Know It All is an interactive web learning portal that was developed by South  Carolina Educational TV through grant funding.  If you use an interactive white board or even an LCD projector in your class, you have to search this site.  The url is:  www.knowitall.org

They include links to virtual field trips, games and puzzles, and so much more.  You can also sign up for a free newsletter.

This site is well developed and worth a peek.

A few "keeping it simple" things I really like about this site.

• The site layout is clean and simple.  
• It has tabs with resources for students and  parents & teachers.
• You can search by subject,  by grade level and alphabetically.
• The site has interactives for elementary through high school so there is something for all teachers.
• You will find dozens of quality interactive actvities and lessons.

You can access the site areas as a "guest" or you can join FREE with a user name and password. 

One of the sites I have used is Hobby Shop, a math and science interactive website.
There are several activities.  i am sharing screen shots of the microscope interactive with the human bone cells.

You click on objects to move through the activity.

You can choose to view onion cells or human bone cells under the microscope.

You make microscope adjustments and here is the result. Obviously, it is more engaging when interactive but I hope you get the idea.



On the site, you can read more information about S.C. Ed TV and the funding for this web portal.  I hope you find somthting you can use in your classroom and that you share the website with your students.

Consider sharing how you use Know It All on a blog comment below.

You Could WIn a Computer Lab

Discovery Education and CDW-G are sponsoring a contest and the sweepstakes prize is a wireless computer lab.  There are monthly drawings for other prizes.  Employees of public, parochial and private schools in the United States are eligible to enter.  Registering is easy (keeping it simple).

While you are on the Discovery Education website, check out the free resources and materials that Discovery Ed provides for educators. 

You won't win if you don't enter!!  

Secret Millionaires Club from AOL Kids - Tech Teaching FInance!

The Secret Millionaires Club is a video-based and interactive game website, sponsored by Toyota, that provides students with real life finance information and learning opportunities in a game format.  Students can manage a portfolio of virtual money and learn from none other than Warren Buffett.  I learned about this site from a special education math teacher in the NYC schools.  She uses the Secret Millionaires Club with her 8th grade students.  Thanks to Alessandra for sharing this great site with me.

Financial literacy is a topic that more students should learn.  My adult children have expressed their wish that they were able to take a course in budgeting and money management.  With packed curriculum and loaded schedules in schools, this website appears to fill a gap while engaging students through interactive games. 

The latest video episode is "Going Mental for Rental" and teachers students business techniques to consider for a rental business.  Warren Buffet offers words of wisdom about learning and earning.
The site is easy to navigate so the developers are keeping it simple.  I love the simple to read stock market prices that scroll across the top of the page.

In addition to the cartoon videos, the site offers money games like Earnings Expedition and Compounding Connections for older students and Lemonade Stand and Catch the Money for younger kids.  They will also learn more about Warren Buffett, his company and how he made his fortune.

The trivia game provides students the opportunity to answer questions based on past video episodes. This question ask students to define algorithms.

There are more advanced activities such as portfolio management but I am keeping it simple by sharing the basics today.

If you have middle or high school kids, share the site with them and if you teach, check out the site.  There is a lot packed into the site and I see it supporting more than just math.
I would love to hear what you think.  Maybe the next Warren Buffet is sitting in your class today!

Ideas and ISTE NETs - Keeping It Simple

Curriculum Ideas for Technology Integration, is a blog post on edtech Vision by Colette Casinelli. 

This list connects practical classroom activities to the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for students.  If you are looking for a manageable number of ideas to consider for your next classroom project or lesson, you will enjoy this post that keeps it simple.

As you develop a classroom lesson or project, look at the NETS for Students and I have blogged about the NETS in previous posts.  As you read the list of ideas, you may find some that you have already implemented in your class.  Decide which technology standard your lessons are supporting.

It is very important to reflect on your classroom practices and evaluate the quality of the assignments and/or classroom activities you develop for your students.  Use Ms. Casinelli's post as a jumping off point or a connection to NETS and your current practice. If you are just dipping your feet in the water of technology integration, this post should expand your understanding of quality practices that are linked to the NETS.

Leave a comment on edtechvision.org if you find the information helpful to your practice and professional learning.  Share your thoughts and keep learning

Article - Could "Remote School" mean the end of snow/ice days?

I read this article from the Gainesville Times in Georgia and had to share it.  Much of the US has been gripped with snow and ice recently.  I was working in New York City yesterday and after about 9 inches of snow, the schools were open, leaving students "wishing" for their first snow day of the year.  Georgia has been dealing with ice and snow so this article applies at many levels. 

Teachers in this Gainesville, Ga school are expanding the boundaries of school by using the Internet to communicate with students, share lessons on online learning platforms, record videos of their lessons, blog with students, and provide online quizzes.  I know some readers may worry about student access to the Internet and that is a valid concern in some communities.  However, as the digital divide shrinks, the possibilities for providing quality lessons during weather related closures or illness is definitely something schools are using. 

I hope this article piques your curiosity.  Are the schools in your area dabbling in online learning, using Web 2.0 tools for communicating with students, blogging, creating multimedia presentations to share with students?  These are the tools and tips I am sharing in this blog, although I haven't been writing from the perspective of using them for remote learning.  But, they would work for that purpose and I aim to keep it simple for my blog readers.

Providing remote lessons and content is not difficult and can be done using free tools.  This blog is an example of a tool you could use with students.  Pose a question in your blog and require your students to answer.  It doesn't matter where they do it or when! 

Share a comment on the article and if you think it could mean the end of "days off."  

Storyline Online - Hear Betty White Read A Story

Storyline Online is an wonderful, FREE site that is produced by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. Members of SAG read children's books on streaming video and there are activities and downloadable teacher resources for the books.  The teacher resources provide additional research, links, and books on the story topics.

Betty White reads Harry The Dirty Dog. You click "Let's Read It." A window opens that allows you to  choose your Internet connection speed and the video of the book begins.  You also have an option to have captions on or off.

 Storyline Online producers keep it simple.  The site is clear and easy to follow.  The extension resources are written clearly and directions for opening and closing windows make it easy to nagivate. 

There are a number of famous readers including: Amanda Bynes, Tia & Tamera Mowry, Elijah Wood,
and former Vice President Al Gore, just to name a few.

I am always looking for resources to support oral reading and I really like this site.  I hope you check it out and that you find it useful in your classroom.  If you share useful website with parents and students, add this one to your list!  Getting families to read and listen together is a wonderful extension to the classroom. 

100 Most Common Engish Words - A Callenge

Here is a challenge for you and your middle or high school age students.  Can you guess the 100 most common English words?  Quizicon has developed this interactive quiz that is quite a challenge. You have 5 minutes to complete the challenge.  You simply click the "start" button and type your word choices in the text box.  Words appear in the chart, if they are part of the 100!  This site keeps it simple.
It has one purpose.  In addition, you can check out scores and statistics.  That would be a good classroom conversation.

Give it a try and share it with a colleague.  I was amazed at the words that were included.  Good fun but a good learning exercise too.

Hope you check it out and, as always, leave a comment if you use the site with your students.

Twist Our Words - Creative Videos

Twist Our Words is a very creative British website that allows you to create sentences that are turned into a video.  British celebrities speak your sentence one word at a time.

 After you create your poem, sentence or group of words, you can share it with friends by email or embed it into a website or blog.  That is what I have done below.  This site keeps it simple. 





Below is my simple video.  I hope you check out Twist Our Words with your students.  This is a fun learning tool.  Pass it on if you like the site!

Teacher Tube: A Few Finds

TeacherTube offers educators access to videos and it probably is not blocked in your school like youtube.   Keep it simple searching led me to the three videos I am sharing with you today.  You can join TeacherTube at no cost and then you can eliminate the ads that play before a video begins.

If you are looking for a video to support your curriculum or your own professional development, check out TeacherTube as a resource. Enjoy my video picks for today.  Leave a comment, if you use TeacherTube or if you like what you see here.  
The Money Song



A Walk Through Ancient Egypt


School Technology - 21st Century Skills

Sharing Tech Thoughts for 2011

Happy New Year blog readers!

As we begin the new year, I wanted to share some quotes that I think have a good message for everyone who works in a school.  I hope you find inspiration in the words of these authors and other educators.  In keeping it simple, I found these quotes on http://edquotes.wikispaces.com/, http://synthesizingeducation.com, and http://www.brainyquote.com.

In 2011, keep learning and relearning, challenging yourself and your students, engaged and engaging, and understanding that as you learn and try new technologies, it will not always go the way you planned.  Nor will it be perfect.  Embrace the messiness and believe in your importance.

“The technology itself is not transformative. It’s the school, the pedagogy, that is transformative.” - Tanya Byron

"The illiterate of the 21st century won't be those who can't read & write but those who can't learn unlearn & relearn" - Alvin Toffler

“Indeed, the role I give the computer is that of a carrier of cultural 'germs' or 'seeds' whose intellectual products will not need technological support once they take root in an actively growing mind.” Seymour Papert

'How do we recapture the magic and myth of education? ... to enable teachers to believe in their importance...so teachers and the public can rediscovers the hope schools once held?'
Deal and Peterson 

From the journal of the National Association of Teachers, 1907: “Students today depend too much on ink. They don’t know how to use a knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.”

"Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination."   Daniel Bell 

"Part of the problem is when we bring in a new technology we expect it to be perfect in a way that we don't expect the world that we're familiar with to be perfect."   Esther Dyson

The Gift of Time

Frequently, teachers ask me how I have time to find, research and learn technology integration ideas, tools and techniques.  I have learned some strategies that save me time and I thought, in the season of giving, I would share a few comprehensive lesson plan websites that are high quality and easy to navigate.  My goal for this blog is to help keep things simple as readers delve into expanding their technology integration with students. 

There are many quality lesson plan websites and teachers will need to decide whether or not modification of someone else's lesson plan is necessary.  That supports the "art" and "science" of teaching.  That being said, here are some resources for you to consider as you plan your next unit or a lesson.  The websites are free, searchable by curriculum, and printable.

• Read Write Think from the Verizon Foundation  

Thinkfinity from the Verizon Foundation

Scholastic's  Lesson Plans - Lessons for K-12 and adult education

 Awesome Library

 I hope these sites will provide you with helpful, quality lesson plans that effectively link to your standards, curriculum maps, etc.  These are just four of many quality lesson plan websites.  If you already use other lesson plan sites, please share them in a comment.  Also, if you find the sites that I have shared are useful, take a minute to share how the resources helped you in your teaching.  

Happy holidays to all who read my blog.  Thank you and Happy New Year.  I look forward to continuing my "keeping it simple" blogging in 2011!