Wall of Words February 23, 2009
Posted by anne marie in ELA, Websites.Tags: sentences
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Quite by accident I discovered this wonderful interactive game that reinforces sentence structure called Wall of Words. A very simple premise- click and drag the scrambled word bricks in the right order to create a sentence. Choose a puncuation mark and click “build it” to see if you are right. If you create the sentence correctly the builders present more scrambled word bricks, if you are not correct the bricks fall apart and you must start again. All sentences must have a punctuation or it will not be correct. This also works wonderful with the SMARTBoard. ENJOY!
Computer Lab Favorites from Scholastic February 22, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Games, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: interactive activities
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Just a quick post to point you in the direction of Scholastic’s Computer Lab Favorites. When you arrive you will find “quick, compelling one-session activities you need to incorporate interactive learning and technology into your curriculum. Each activity requires no prep and can be completed in 15-30 minutes.” There are activities in ELA, science, math, social studies and Spanish. Here is a link to the site map listing all of the available activities. Many of these activities also work very well on the SMARTBoard- ENJOY!
Downloading videos February 21, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Web 2.0, Websites.Tags: Video downloads
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Lately I have been asked by several teachers how they can download YouTube videos and embed them as a Flash file into a Notebook lesson so I thought I’d take a minute to share a couple of ways I have found to be quick and easy.
The first is to head over to Tube Leecher, which is a website that allows you to download videos. You simply paste the URL of the YouTube video into the text box, click download and it will download the video into a Flash file onto your desktop. Did I say easy!!
There is a YouTube Downloader that is a free download and very easy to use. Once you install this, it will create a short cut on your desktop. Simply bring up the interface when you are ready to download a video and copy and paste the URL, click download and it will download the video as Flash file. Here is a nice video that explains how to use the YouTube Downloader and also how to embed the video into a Notebook file.
Another option would be to use Kick YouTube. To use this option you find the YouTube video you wish to download and in the URL box add the word “kick” right after the www. and before the “Y” and select enter. The Kick You Tube converter will appear on your screen, select the format you want (for a Flash file you would select FLV) and click on Go. When it is converted the Download button will appear, click on that to save the file to your computer. Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining this process.
Firefox has a wonderful Add-on to make downloading videos quick and easy called Video DownloadHelper. You simply download and it will add a balloon-type icon to your address bar. When the balloons are moving it indicates that it is ready to download a video, click on the balloons to download. If there is more than one option make sure you click on the FLV file. Here is a link to a YouTube video that demonstrates how to download and use this option.
Since Teacher Tube is not blocked at many schools I thought I’d mention a quick way to download videos you may find on that site. First you will need to visit the TeacherTube Downloader site and download the interface- it’s quick and easy and free. The free version does have some limitations just as only allowing you to download 3 videos at a time, but there is a paid version that will give you extra options, including the ability to download from a variety of sites. Once downloaded it will create a shortcut to your desktop, click on the shortcut when you want to download a TeacherTube video, find a TeacherTube video you want to download, highlight it, select add on the download page and it should bring it directly into the download page, select where you want to save it and what format (for Notebook files select FLV) then select the green download arrow and the video will begin to download as indicated by the download progress bar.
Once you have your video downloaded as a FLASH (FLV) file using one of these options you can simply drag and drop the Flash video into your Notebook file or use the insert Flash Video Option. Either way it is quick and easy. And don’t forget, once you embed your Flash video into a Notebook file you can re-size it, write on it, move it and use the video tool bar to stop, pause, etc. the video during your lesson. I hope this has been helpful. ENJOY!
Update 2/22/09- I recieved an email from my friend Janet reminding me that I had forgtotten to mention KeepVid.com, which is another web based video download option, similiar to TubeLeecher.com. You would head over to YouTube, select the video you want to download, copy the URL and then paste it in KeepVid text box. Click download and once the process is complete the download options will appear below a green line under the text box. Select the format you want (for Notebook files select FLV), right click and save the video to a file on your computer.
Science Online Rocks! February 20, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Science, Websites.Tags: Science
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I have been wanting to write a post about Science Online for some time now and tonight is the time! This site was developed to address the Tennessee Science Frameworks, but is a wonderful resource for all K-8 science teachers.
“Science Online is an innovative project that emphasizes the use of technology to deliver the Tennessee science curriculum for grades K-8.Science Online will integrate technology toward the mastery of standards, learning expectations and performance indicators as indicated in the Jefferson County System Technology Plan Goals and the Tennessee Science Curriculum Framework.”
This site is nicely organized by grade level and subject and content areas, making it very user friendly. The resources are quite extensive and the many of the interactive websites work great with the SMARTBoard. The site also shares a weekly “site of the week”. For example the site this week is The Kid’s Page which is a project developed and maintained by the Science Education Center at Glendale Community College. On The Kid’s Page you will find even more resources for science areas such as the solar system, sound and light, living things, etc. Science Online and The Kid’s Place are definitely science resources worth checking out– ENJOY!
Learn Alberta an amazing resource! February 20, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Websites.Tags: Resource
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My friend Samantha’s son, Jackson, who attends Emerson College, emailed me about a great resource that I want to share, since it is simply wonderful! It’s called LearnAlberta.ca In their own words,
“This site was designed and developed to assist kindergarten to Grade 12 teachers in Alberta locate and utilize digital learning and teaching resources produced by the Ministry of Education. The design of the site is reflective of how teachers think and work in an online environment. It is not perfect, but we are continuing to work on it in consultation with teachers in the field.”
Even though the site is designed for Alberta teachers the materials and resources can easily be utilized by virtually any teacher. The site can be viewed in both English and French. There are lessons for all of the core subjects including math, science, ELA and social studies and include videos, lessons plans, interactive activities and quizzes, etc. And many will work great with a SMARTBoard. Here are some links to examples of what you will find when you start exploring– grade 9 science, multiplying and dividing cells , grade 12 science interactive online quiz: the neuron, Grade 6 Math and Grade 5 Math (click on the lessons tabs to view all of the available math categories for each grade).There is a very good search engine within the site to assist you in finding exatly what you want.
So a great big THANK YOU to Jackson for the heads up about this resource. ENJOY!
ELab for Math February 19, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Math.Tags: Math
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Just a quick post to share a link to one of the many activities from Harcourt Publishers E-Lab called Finding Volume. One of the 4th grade teachers had asked to use the laptops and wanted her students to practice this concept. Finding Volume worked wonderfully. I should also mention that it also offers an accompanying recording sheet for students to complete, which compliments the activity. The E-Lab has several other math activities (many with an acompanying recording sheet) for grades 3- 6 that are definitely worth a look. ENJOY!
Topmarks is Tops in my book! February 19, 2009
Posted by anne marie in SMART Board, Websites.Tags: SMARTBoard, Topmarks
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In case you hadn’t heard Topmarks has the most amazing list of free interactive whiteboard resources. In their own words:
“We’ve been working hard to feature the best educational resources which work well on interactive whiteboards in the classroom. The resources are organised by subject, age group and category to make them easy for you to find. We are constantly updating the web sites listed here to ensure that they are current.”
So for any teacher using a SMARTBoard I would highly suggest you take a spin over to Topmarks and check it out. ENJOY!
Rainforest at Night February 17, 2009
Posted by anne marie in SMART Board, Science, Websites.Tags: National Geographic, Rainforest
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Found this really cool National Geographic interactive website that explores the Rainforest at Night. You simply mouse over the page (like shining a spotlight) to discover photos and then click on the photo to learn additional facts. When using the SMARTBoard it’s REALLY cool since you move your finger over the SMARTBoard to discover the photos and then touch the photo to learn more. ENJOY!
Math and More Math! February 17, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Games, Math.Tags: Math
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In case you haven’t heard, World Maths Day this year is scheduled for March 4th. So I thought I’d share a couple of math sites that I hope will help students when “training” for this very important competition! And as an added plus each of these math activities also work wonderfully with the SMARTBoard!
The first is math flash application that reviews/reinforces multiplication and division, doubles, halves, etc. There is a very nice variety of skill reinforcement opportunities with this application. Simply select the activity you want to use, It is called Hit The Button.
The next game is from 4L Puzzle Plus and reinforces multiplication and division. This game is so cool! It is designed much like a slot machine- an equation appears on the screen and students need to type in the correct answer using the onscreen calculator.
If you’re looking for a website to review/supplement basic addition skills check out Harcourt School Publishers Adding Bricks. Two construction workers literally drop bricks from their wheelbarrows and students count/add the bricks and type the answers in the answer box. A fun way to reinforce basic addition.
Found an awesome site from Saxon Math that reviews coin values (2nd grade). Students are asked to calculate the value of the coins in the box at the top of the page and then click on the correct answer from the answer field of three. There is a score box that summarizes the session (10 questions).
Hope these games/activities help your students get in tip top shape for World Maths Day 2009! ENJOY!
Black History Month February 12, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Websites, history/social studies.Tags: Black History Month
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For any teachers who might be creating lessons/projects to highlight Black History Month I wanted to share this link to a short story/essay “Imagine If There Were No Black People in the World”. This is story about a young boy names Theo who asks his mother the question “Mom, what if there were no Black people in the world?” His mother takes him on a journey to discover the contributions that Black people have made in the world. ENJOY!
