07.04.08
Happy Birthday America!
America is 232 years old today! 
Hope everyone had a fun, relaxing, day filled with family and friends!
07.03.08
4th of July Word Search
Here is another 4th of July interactive activitiy that works well with the SMARTBoard from applesfortheteacher.com. It’s a 4th of July word search that you can choose to use interactively online or print it out to complete it using paper ad pencil. I would use it both ways- print hard copies for each student to follow as together we found the words on the SMARTBoard. Either way it’s great since each time you play, there will be a different set of words associated with the 4th of July used to create the word search. Ten words are randomly chosen from the predetermined vocabulary word list. When you play the game online you are playing against the clock. It works well with the SMARTboard since you simply use your finger to highlight the letters in each word. ENJOY and Happy July 4th!!
07.02.08
AOL for Kids
I was watching the Today Show this morning (isn’t summer vacation glorious!!) and during a segment discussing “ways to keep kids’ school skills fresh this summer” I was reminded of Kids.aol.com and thought it worth sharing for those of you who might not as of yet explored this sister site of AOL. KOLis filled with many educational games and activities and has an awesome resource component which can be found under Homework Help. And don’t forget to check out KOL Jr. for younger aged students–it also has a Homework Help section filled with wonderful resources. ENJOY!
07.01.08
AT Blog Carnival
The latest AT Blog Carnival, Edtion #4 has been posted- thanks Lon! This latest edition is a grab bag format with 10 submissions (even one from me!!), each one filled with some very worthwhile information and definitely worth a look. I find this Carnival format to be very convenient and helpful- sort of like one stop shopping for some wonderful ideas! So if you want to learn about several AT topics head on over to the AT Blog Carnival– guaranteed you won’t be disappointed.
06.30.08
4th of July Books
If you like books, especially children’s books, like I do, then you might want to check out three books available on Lookybook that have a 4th of July theme. All are great and present very well on the SMARTboard.
“Happy Birthday America” written by Mary Pope Osborne and illustrated by Peter Catalanotto.
“Little Miss Liberty” written and illustrated by Chris Robertson.
“ABC of America” written by Kim Bellafontaine and illustrated by Per-Henrik Gurth.
If you have never used Lookybook before you should register for a free user account as it gives you various options, such as saving books to your bookshelf, that otherwise would not be available to you. ENJOY!
06.29.08
Hiyah.net updated software
One of my favorite websites is Hiyah.net. Developed and maintained by Sara- a mother of two young boys who encounter difficulty accessing a computer using a mouse. So this very talented, very generous mother created a series of educational software based on a variety of subjects for her sons. The most amazing part of this story is that Sara then created this website to make each and every one of these programs available to anyone who could benefit from them– yes they are all FREE! You simply download the program (some you can use online) and enjoy. I receievd an email today notifying me that Sara has added 7 new programs to this marvelous collection- she even has one for the 4th of July! So if you’re in the market for some free educational software geared towards students aged 18 months to 4 years (also perfect to address cause/affect objectives) head on over to Hiyah.net and be amazed! The download versions are made to run on Microsoft Windows compatible operating systems. The Play Online version works on Macs or PCs. I should also mention that these programs work great with the SMARTBoard. ENJOY and THANK YOU Sara!
Fireworks Puzzle
For all of you gearing up for a 4th of July fireworks display this week to celebrate the birth of our country, here is a fireworks jigsaw puzzle from Kids Turn Central to get you in the light in the sky mood! A little bit of warning–this one is not for the amateur “puzzler”, like myself! I tried completing this puzzle and after about 15 minutes I had to call it quites- of course anyone that knows me (including my stduents) would tell you I am perhaps the worse puzzle person in the world!! So if you feel brave and are up for a challenge check it out. Oh yeah- it will also work well with the SMARTBoard since you simply touch and drag the puzzle pieces.
06.28.08
4th of July Puzzle
WIth the 4th of July right around the corner I thought I’d share a fun Flash Game, American Jigsaw Puzzle, that works well with the SMARTBoard. You simply press play and move/drag the puzzle pieces to put it back to together! Great for eye/hand coordination- ENJOY!
06.26.08
Sharing a Blog Milestone!
Well today my Blog reached a huge milestone- 2,000 visitors have viewed Talking SMARTBoards & Much More since April 6, 2007! 
WOW!!! That definitely makes me SMILE!! It has been a wonderful journey, allowing me a place to document student work and accomplishments and to share ideas and resources with others. Nothing makes me happier than when I receive a comment telling me that my Blog has helped a teacher find a resource or sparked an idea for a lesson. 
Onward to the next 2,000 visitors!!
06.25.08
Wordle
Over this past week or so I have seen a plethera of posts about this really cool site called Wordle. Wordle is a free website that allows you to create word clouds from text or from a del.icio.us tag. I told you it was cool!! Cool, and very user friendly. Simply copy text in any language, paste it into the Wordle text box and it will create clouds with the most commonly occurring words in the text. Once created it gives you the option to edit the shape, colors, font and layout of the cloud. You can delete any words you do not want/like by right-clicking on them. It also gives you the option of printing your creation or saving it to the gallery-YEAH!! I also want to mention that for students who may require a “specialized” cloud, with limited words, it does allow you to simply type words into the text box.
Since learning about this site my mind has been whirling, thinking of possible ways that I can incorporate it into my lessons using the SMARTBoard. For my classroom I would create a Wordle word cloud with specific words, paste it in my SMART Notebook lesson and have students use SMART markers to circle or highlight words according to the particluar lesson- kind of like a word search of sorts. I could even use the Notebook shade to hide and reveal words. Some ideas I envision would be to create word clouds for word review/identification, identifying parts of speech, identifying rhyming words, find words that begin with a specific letter, find words that would complete a sentence or answer a question,etc. The possibilities are endless-YEAH!! Here is quick example I created for identifying words that describe body parts. I would review/read words with my students and have them circle the words that are body parts. 
I also think this would be a very motivating, fun way to teach/review the computer skill of copy and paste. So let your imagnation lead the way to some fun and creative lessons this fall using the Wonderful World of Wordle!
