Talking SMARTBoards & Much More!

I want to share this really cool application called Tag Galaxy that was created by Steven Wood at the University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg.It is very easy to use and spectacular to view– click on New Tag in the upper left corner of the screen, type in a word and a planetary galaxy will appear with related pictures that were found on Flikr. Dragging your mouse over the different planets will tell you how many photos have been locted in that sub- tag.  Clicking on the planet will begin the process of transferring the photos to the planet (if there are several photos it could take a while).  Once loaded you can then use your mouse (left click and drag) to rotate the planet to see all of the pictures.  Trust me this application is REALLY cool and presents great on the SMARTBoard.  This would be a great way to initiate a conversation about specific topics or how awesome for an art teacher to display the work of different artists.  Below is a Michael Jackson Tag Galaxy I created. ENJOY!

I was searching for some online poetry sites and came across a great post from the Making Teachers Nerdy site that I wanted to share. Mrs. Smoke shared a very comprehensive list of sites to use when teaching poetry lessons.  Many of these site would work well with the SMARTBoard.  So if you’re planning any poetry units you might want to pop over and check out Mrs. Smoke’s Ode To Poetry- ENJOY!

I have been slowly, but surely going through the site I have bookmarked over the year and when I clicked on this site I thought, “You have to write about this resource”!  Carol Rock from the Oak Street Elementary School in Plattsburgh, NY has compiled a very comprehensive (K-5) list of interactive sites to use with a SMARTBoard.  She has them arranged by discipline and/or subject area.  When you click on one of the links it brings you to a page with links to several sites and a brief description of each site.  This resource was very helpful to me when I was supporting a SpEd teacher who was searching for some interactive stories to use on the SMARTBoard. So if you are a K-5 teacher and might be looking to incorporate some interactive sites into a SMART  Notebook lesson I would recommend you check out this resource- ENJOY! Oops- almost forgot, thanks Carol for putting together a awesome resource- you ROCK!!

I feel alittle Befunked this morning!!!  A friend of mine told me about this really fun site called BeFunky.com- a place where you can tranform any photo into some very fun, very incredible artwork and the best part is, it’s all free with no registration required!  It’s as simple as uploading a photo and chosing the application you want and voila, you have created an amazing BeFunky original!  When finished it will give you the option of saving it to your desktop or gallery (you will need to register for an account if you want to save it to your gallery) or sharing it to a friend (email).  This is another great way to create a fun avatar for a class blog or wiki, add some fun artwork to a SMART Notebook lesson or for a fun art class project. ENJOY!

 If you are a K-2 teachers and have not yet checked out GameGoo.com you MUST!  This site offers a plethora of free, engaging, fun educational games addressing early reading and language skills.  GameGoo is developed by Earobics a language and literacy software company.  Click on the Kids box to bring you to the GAME GOO section where you will find the games arranged from beginners (bottom) to advanced (top).  When you scroll your mouse over the various game icons a decsription of the game will appear in the upper right corner of the game section. Many of the games work well on the SMARTBoard (really fun!!).  The Fearless Freida games present well on the SMARTBoard, but they do require keyboarding.  And don’t forget to check out the FUN GOO section where they provide even more  options such as wallpaper goo, coloring goo, etc.  ENJOY!

If you’re looking for a site to practice counting money you might want to check out the Money Flashcard site form APlusMath.com.  Students count the money on the page, type in the amount and click enter to check their answer.  It gives student results at the top of the page.  This site also presents well on the SMARTBoard for a teacher directed review.

You might also want to check out a post I originally wrote in November 08 about another great money site that reinforces making change called Cash Out .  Making Change Game is also a similiar site that reviews making change.ENJOY!

Heard about this really cool number line game over on Twitter today- thanks Keisa Williams- that I wanted to share.  It’s a great, challenging, fun game to review adding and subtracting positive and negatvie integers using a number line.  I would recommend and encourage first time users to check out the tutorial before beginning the game for some helpful tips. Racing Along the Number Line would work nicely on a SMARTBoard- a great way for classroom review- ENJOY!!

I stumbled across this wonderful history site as I was searching for information on World War I- funny how one mission can lead to an unexpected treasure! EyeWitness to History is a site that has a myriad of history  resources through the perspective of those who actually lived it – from the ancient world through the 20th century. The site also offers film clips from the past, voices (recordings) of the 20th Century, photos of the week, etc.  This a true treasure for all history teachers who want to expose their students to a “ringside seat to history”. ENJOY!

Visual Geography is a wonderful site that some of the foreign language and social studies teachers are using to introduce students to the culture and people of various continents/countries.  This site offers a wonderful visual impression of many places around the world. Visual Geography also offers quizzes in 4 levels to test your knowledge of continents and countries. In a ddition, Visual Geography also offers an option to listen to the language of the country.  ENJOY!

I just learned that the games on BrainpopJr.com are free so I wanted to pass that information along for those of you who were unaware, like me!  There are several games, for a variety of disciplines and many work very well on the SMARTBoard.  ENJOY!