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THE BLOG HAS MOVED! The new site is here.
To subscribe to the new feed, click here.
The archives will remain here as well as all the resources.
Free Anonymous Web Hosting
Here's a really easy way to publish a webpage without having to register: PasteHtml. Simply paste you HTML code, formatted text, plain text in their box and click "publish page". You can also take a snapshot of a page webpage and stor it online. Here is a sample I made to show you what it looks like.
Easy Way to Create a How-to-Do Page
Set up your lesson, email your link and your page is ready to go! Here's a sample tutorial on creating a Google Form.
Wonderful Listing of Web 2.0 Tools to Support Technology Standards
I found this site on Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators and it is very helpful! Presented in a very easy-to-use chart, each technology standard is listed with the web tools which support that standard. Whether you are a newbie to Web 2.0 or not, you will really enjoy Web 2.0 to Support the Nets.
Explore the Web Using The Dewey Decimal System
Looking for a unique way to browse the web? Try Dewey Digger, a search engine which divides the web by Dewey Decimal number. Simply click on a Dewey number (I chose 000's below) and you'll see a list of subject areas to search:
Once you pick your subject, you will be brought to a screen which gives you the choice of 27 different ways to search your topic. Choices go way beyond Google, by adding educational search engines such as ERIC, EBSCOHost, WolframAlpha, ScienceDirect and the Library of Congress. More choices, YES.
Swap Books With Other Readers
Recommended by USA Today, Bookins provides free shipping to send any books and a flat rate of $4.99 when you receive an order of books. The trades are arranged by Bookins, so you don't have to contact anyone. The site claims the only 100% "trade risk-free" guarantee, which assures you will receive payment and/or "quality items".
Looking for the Meaning of a Word?
MetaGlossary provides definitions from various sources across the web. They currently have over 2 million terms, phrases and acronyms. Looking for synonyms? You'll find them here as well.
Looking For a New Way to Navigate Online? Infomous offers word clouds for news, sports, business and technology. When you roll over each word, you see information related to it. Demos on the site show how Infomous can be used: how Craigslist would look if it used Infomous or a mock-up of the Huffington Post page. There is even Infomous for Twitter: I searched a person and an interactive word cloud appeared. The website is still evolving, so they have said that not all their links are working. But I have to say this looks very promising. Here's what the Infomous word cloud looks like:
Free MakeUseOf Guides For Download
The current total is 38; and if you've never taken advantage of the free downloads on MakeUseOf you are missing an incredible resource. Some titles include: The Complete Guide to Twitter, An Idiot's Guide to Photoshop, Build Your Own WordPress Site, Guidebook to Internet Searching and The Facebook Marketing Guide. Sign up in order to be able to download these very helpful manuals.
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The Unconference That Rocked
I attended edcamp Philly on Saturday, which was held at U Penn.
What a wonderful experience it was to meet people with the same interests in education and technology. I traveled with a friend who, although a true nervous newbie was interested in learning about how this thing called the Internet has turned our world upside down. It was fun to hear her talk about Twitter (So I can twit you?) and take notes in a spiral-bound notebook while everyone else had a laptop, iPad or Smartphone. By the end of the day, I personally came away with a wonderful fundraising idea, (Thanks, Arlen) ways to save huge $$ in our tech budget, (Thanks, Rita) an interesting discussion format called "Things That Suck" (Thanks, Dan!) and learned more about Google Docs from Laura. The day ended with a Web 2.0 smackdown, where people came up to the podium and shared a favorite Web 2.0 tool. To close the event, they raffled off many wonderful gifts. I was thrilled to win a copy of "Snagit". Thank you all for making the 4 hours roundtrip worth every mile!
Farther Than the Eye Can See
Looking for a movie to show at the end of the school year? This one is full of inspiration. "Farther Than the Eye Can See" is about Eric Weihenmayer's climb to the peak of Mount Everest. What makes him so special? Well, he's the first blind person to accomplish this feat. Excellent movie!
A Cool Way to Brainstorm
Here's another great online mindmapping tool which allows you to drag, drop. edit, and connect different objects such as images, text, maps and more. Here's a quick video to show you how it works:
Thanks to Free Technology For Teachers for the post.
New Technology Aids Children With Motor Problems
TAP•it (Touch Accessible Platform Interactive Technology)
is a portable interactive screen which aids children with different disabilities. Students with fine motor delays, visual challenges, hearing impaired and developmentally delayed will benefit from this classroom tool. Learn more here by viewing the sample videos.
Organize Your Videos with Squrl
Manage your videos in one spot and then watch it on the iPad, PC. iPhone, or TV.
The Squrl App will search for videos, allow you to bookmark videos and make collections of your videos. Watch the short interview with Squrl's co-founder Mark Gray:
Great Interactive Experience For Kids
With exhibits, games, interactive books and live classes, Fraboom Online Children's Museum is a wonderful site for kids aged 6-12. The site has wonderful kid-friendly graphics and is easy to navigate. Thanks to iLearn Technology for the site!
Infographic Shows How We Brought
Bin Laden Down
Click on the graphic to view Bin Laden's last hour on this earth.
A New Look at the Digital Book: Mike Matas
Push Pop Press software developer Mike Matas is responsible for creating the first full-length interactive book for the iPad. How interactive, you might ask? Well, you can blow on the screen at the windmill to make it move. Certainly sounds more exciting than a Kindle, wouldn't you say?
Thanks to Dr. David V. Loertscher for the tweet.
Resources About Osama Bin Laden
I have updated and added to my section on terrorism with subsections on Osama Bin Laden and September 11th. Click here to view.
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Design and Share Graphs For Free
A few weeks ago, one of my teachers asked if I could find a free online charting program that her kids could use. She wasn't sure if there were any free programs out there, but sure enough, I found one. Chart Tool allows you to design bar charts, pie charts, line charts, bubble charts and radar charts. Here are the choices:
Have You Been Laid Off? Here Are Jobs For Teachers in Transition
Danver A. Chandler has put together a blog entitled 52 Teaching Jobs in 52 Weeks for all those teachers who have lost their jobs and are looking to transition into another field of work. Some ideas include: governess, education coordinator, social worker, educational sales and circus teacher.
Related resource: Jobs For Teachers, my own section, which includes resume templates, job interview tips and job search information.
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Your suggestions and requests are always welcome: cybrarian77@gmail.com
Digital Citizenship Wiki is Very Comprehensive
Jason Ohler. author of "Digital Community Digital Citizen" has created a wonderful wiki which covers the many elements of digital citizenship. Originally meant to be a companion to his book, the wiki can also be used as a resource for digital citizenship. Categories include character education, copyright, fair use, cyberbulling, digital literacy, information literacy, media literacy and much more. There are hundreds of links which can help guide you and your students. Jason welcomes contributors to his wiki; just email him at jasonohler@gmail.com to receive an invitation to join.
Brainstorming Online With Mind Maps
Looking to collaborate online? Whether you'd like to brainstorm with your students or colleagues, Mindomo offers you the ease to create great mind maps. Here's an example which uses Mindomo for problem solving and another one about e-Learning tools and resources for schools in education.
UPDATES:
Infographics Section- added to and divided into subject areas
Web Design Section- added long list of free website creation sites
Why not subscribe by clicking here or pass on the link to your colleagues and friends.
Your suggestions and requests are always welcome: cybrarian77@gmail.com
The Importance of Libraries: An Infographic
Archives.com has posted a cool infographic which honors libraries during National Library Week.
You can view it here.
Watch the video below about the value of libraries. Honorary Chair John Grisham shares his thoughts.
Auschwitz Revisted By Irving Roth
Holocaust survivor Irving Roth takes a group of college students to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and talks about his experience there. This is exceptionally moving and should be used in history classes.
Salman Khan: Let's Use Video to Reinvent Education
As founder of the Khan Academy, Salman Khan spoke about how his interactive videos have been helpful to people and why teachers should consider sending their students home to watch their lectures at home.
This TED presentation was taped this month. Here's a direct link to the Khan Academy, where there are over 2,100 educational videos, covering math, science, test prep, humanities and other subjects.
Writing Letters of Recommendation
I've just added a new section on the site which shows how to write a student recommendation. There are several examples of letters of recommendation as well.
RECENTLY UPDATED: Streaming Video Online
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Another Way of Using Go!Animate: The Overdue Books Video
Librarian Tiffany Whitehead made this short video using Go!Animate:
GoAnimate.com: OverdueBooks by librariantiff1
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Five Tests For a Good Thesis
Springfield Township Teacher-Librarian Joyce Valenza has provided an incredible guide for thesis development, which includes "Five Tests for a Good Thesis", a cartoon created with Go!Animate. This is an excellent site for your students to utilize!
An Infographic About Creative Commons and Copyright
Here's a great infographic which explains the Creative Commons license by using cartoon characters. It's easy to understand and your students will find it very helpful. You can download it and print it out to display in your classroom.
Jon Stewart's Daily Show Presents CRIBS: Teacher Edition
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c |
| Crisis in Dairyland - Apocalypse Cow | |
Apture Has Been Added to This Site
With a few lines of code, Apture allows you to highlight text within this page and immediately explore more content about that text. Confused? Take a look at the video below and then try highlighting something on the blog.
Apture: Search. Explore. Experience. from Tristan Harris on Vimeo
Kids Learn About Finances
With a list of lesson plans, worksheets, activities, quizzes and more, CreditScore is a wonderful site to use to teach your students about credit.
There is enough here to cover every topic, including debit/credit cards, Federal Reserve lesson plans and money management.
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Your suggestions and requests are always welcome: cybrarian77@gmail.com
Create Topic Bags & Organize Your Stuff
Teachers, students & researchers will appreciate how cool BagTheWeb can be. It's a great way to organize information you have collected on the web for yourself or your website. Here's an example of how 5th graders are using bags for learning reading, and another example of how Jeff Thomas has organized his 293 bags with EdTech resources. Thank you, Jeff for introducing us to BagtheWeb.
OTHER PROGRAMS which organize and collect information: SimplyBox, Evernote, Springpad & InSlices.
What's Happening in Education & Technology
Edudemic is a "7,000+ person global community designed to keep educators, administrators, and everyone up-to-date on what’s happening in the world of education and technology." There is a section of "How To", ideas for "In the Classroom", current items "In the News", "Tips & Tricks", "Top 10 Lists", guides and a job board. There are RSS feeds for daily access through your reader. Thanks to Greg Limperis, Technology Integration in Education for info about Edudemic's site.
Bill Gates: Why We Need to Care About State School Budgets
The Importance of Data
School administrators can obtain education data, research and tools to assist them in creating policies to "result in higher student achievement."
In addition, Data F1rst has interactive polls, videos, and of course, lots of data. A grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded this site.
Spring is Just Around the Corner......or is it?
A Tool to Assist Students With a Thesis
Tom March has designed the ElectraGuide, which takes students through the process of building a thesis and making an online outline for their project. The instructions are simple; the student fills in 6 answers to the questions and then clicks "Build a Thesis." If they are content with the thesis statement, they click "Make an Online Outline" to continue.
Librarians Do Gaga
This video has been around for a while on YouTube, but it's so good I thought I would post it for a good laugh. Students and faculty from the University of Washington's Information Science School do their own version of Lady Gaga's Poker Face. The lyrics can be found here. Enjoy.
Learning From Mrs. McRae: A Documentary Feature Film Project
Ossining High School teacher Jillian McRae is the subject of this film documentary
by Israeli native Nitzan Ofir. We've all heard the statement "those who can't do teach". Ms. Ofir says her film firmly rebuts that statement. Currently looking for backers, the project has 28 days to go and has raised $850.00. (They need $15,000 do make the film) The project shows a lot of promise. You can find more information on the film here.
"Outside My Window" Connects People Through Photos
Students at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, California started Outside My Window in 2003, hoping to make new friends from around the world through photos. "This network helps people see the worlds as other people see it- the first step toward understanding and friendship." I took a look at the gallery of photos and was very impressed. Perhaps your students would be interested in contributing to this wonderful project.
The 9/11 Interactive Timeline presents the events of that fateful day with photos, audio of passengers, videos taken by witnesses and news reports. The timeline begins at 5:45 a.m. that morning, when hijackers passed through security in Maine (security camera photo) and ends that night at 8:30 p.m. with then President George W. Bush addressing the nation. There were many especially touching moments, such as flight 175 passenger Brian Sweeney leaving a voice mail message for his wife after he found out that the plane was hijacked, and flight attendant Betty Ong (flight 11) describing what was happening on the plane. This is a must-see for your older students. Thanks to Jeff Thomas for the tip.
Dr. Seuss' Birthday is March 2nd
I have put together a huge listing of resources for Dr. Seuss, including lesson plans, printables, projects, puzzles, games and books. Click the cat to get there. Happy 107th Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Nominate a Hero
Do you know an extraordinary educator? Wouldn't you love to be recognized? Register on Classroom Heroes and others can support the hard work you do every day. Classroom Heroes is a project of the National Education Association. Here's a short video about the site:
Record and Upload Audio With Audioboo
Audioboo is "a mobile & web platform that effortlessly allows you to record and upload audio for your friends, family or the rest of the world to hear." It is available for the iPhone or Android smartphone. Here's a short video which shows you how much more than audio this app is.
Intro to Audioboo from Mark Rock on Vimeo.
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42 Sites to Get Free eBooks
I've been a busy little bee, adding to my website, section by section. My latest update is here, where I've listed 42 sites where you can download free eBooks. There are also 5 eBook search engines listed here.
"How To" Science Activities
The Museum of Science + Industry Chicago has a wonderful section devoted to science activities. Here's a few which are available:
How to Grove a Garden in a Glove, How to Cook Food Using the Sun, How to Construct a Worm Farm, How to Make Recycled Paper and How to Make Slime. I'm sure kids will enjoy this site!
Capture, Annotate and Share
I've been using SnagIt screen capture at work. Although it's not a free program, it has so many great features. At home, I've tried several trials of programs and just never found anything I liked as much as SnagIt. BUT....alas, today I learned about Awesome Screenshot from Richard Byrne's blog, and this FREE program has just about everything I need!
Some features include capturing a selected area of a page, the entire page and annotation with rectangles, arrows, lines and text. You can also blur out information you don't want your students to see. Here's a great way to do a handout for your class or a tutorial. Although sizing your image capture is not an option, I'm ok with that; Photoshop is always waiting in the wings.
Just install the browser plug-in (Chrome and Safari only right now) and you are ready to go! I'm excited to get started with Awesome Screenshot.
Access Bookmarks Wherever You Are
It's the quickest way to save your favorite sites and has a very easy interface. Watch the video below and see what I mean. I'm planning on using Only2Clicks to reorganize sites for my students.
Teacher Tenure Necessary, Says Teachers' Unions
Here's an NPR radio interview from last Friday which was with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. It runs a bit over 6 minutes and covers the future of teacher tenure in our public schools.
Click here to listen.
Organize Notes, Sites and More in One Spot
I have been using SimplyBox for a few years now and have really liked it, but as I'm always looking for a better way to organize, SpringPad caught my eye when I read about it on the Educational Technology Guy's blog. I set up an account and started using it to compare the two programs. What I found was that SpringPad's clipping of websites produced a much better result for me. Another perk: You can access your information on their mobile app, which is available for the iPhone or Android phones. Organization has never been this much fun!
Happy Valentine's Day
Search over 120,000 articles in 27 categories for answers to your questions. I opened the Technology and Gadgets section (3,065 articles) to find a HUGE two-column list of questions, such as " What is a megapixel?" "What is a digital note pad?" and "How do I recycle a cell phone?" Other categories include The United States, History and Government, Finance and Investing and The World. There is also a blog and widgets you can put on your website. WiseGEEK looks like a very helpful site.
Make Your Own Personal Dashboard
Netvibes allows you to gather all your favorite stuff off the web and put it on one page, which they call a dashboard. Every time you open your dashboard it will update for you. Netvibes allows you to have a public as well as private dashboard, where you can manage and update your Facebook and Twitter accounts right there. With 180,000 widgets to choose from you are able to cover every subject you can think of, including science, sports and movies.
24 Famous People Who Have Been Teachers
John Adams (Former President)
Alexander Graham Bell (Inventor)
Dan Blocker (Actor-Bonanza)
Billy Crystal (Comedian-Actor)
Sheryl Crow (Singer-Songwriter)
Tony Danza (Actor)
Roberta Flack (Singer)
Robert Frost (Poet)
Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel)
Sir William Golding (Author)
Dennis Green (Former Minnesota Vikings Football Coach)
Andy Griffith (Actor)
Lyndon B. Johnson (Former President)
Stephen King (Author)
Kris Kristofferson (Singer-Actor)
Spike Lee (Movie Director-Writer)
Kal Penn (Actor)
Mr. T. (Actor)
J.K. Rowling (Author)
Gene Simmons (KISS)
Sylvester Stallone (Actor)
STING (Singer-Songwriter)
Oprah February (Talk Show Host-Businesswoman)
Ron Wood (Rolling Stones)
Valentine's Day Resources For Class
I've put together a nice list for you to use on Monday. Mainly for young students, there a a few activities you can do in middle or high school. Have fun!
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Media Specialists....Teacher-Librarians-
Check Out These Resources For You
I've expanded this section to include media center management, blogs, lesson plans library magazines, organizations and sites.
15 FREE Online Alternatives to Microsoft Office
AbiWord- open-source word processing program runs on Windows, Mac and most Linux systems; layout looks like MS Office.
Atlantis Nova- basic word processor for Windows computers; download required.
GnomeOffice- suite of apps which can be used for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations; for Windows computers.
GOffice- offers word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and desktop publishing; use right in your browser.
Google Docs- if you have a Gmail account, you can use the documents section to create documents, presentations, forms or drawings; download your file as a Word document or RTF; (rich text file) use in your browser and save in your Google Docs.
Jarte- "A free word processor based on the Microsoft WordPad word processing engine built into Windows."
KOffice- online open source software includes KWord, KSpread and KPresenter; works on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Lotus Symphony- Windows download; includes Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, Lotus Symphony Presentations.
NeoOffice- made for Mac computers; includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentation; download required; also available for Android smartphones.
Open Office- looks just like MS Office 2003; download required; (about 148 MB) Windows only.
OxygenOffice- more professional version of OpenOffice; has templates and clip art; download required.
QJot- word processor for Windows which can open MS Word files; you can save the program on your flash drive to carry with you.
SSuite Office Software- free downloads for Windows computers; many different free versions available.
ThinkFree Online- share and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations on or offline; convert a file to pdf format; edit a MS Office document online; manage files from your mobile phone with an account.
Zoho- like Google Docs, with writer, spreadsheet, presentation offered for free. Zoho writer allows collaboration.
The New Teacher Forum is up and Ready!
Yesterday I found out about a really easy way to embed a forum on my site: Tal.ki. I registered through my Twitter account, (there are many other choices) copied the code to embed the forum and poof! All done. I welcome all of you to participate by asking questions, commenting and starting discussions.
Information Literacy: More Important Today Than Ever
The video below is part of Project Information Literacy, which studies young adults' research habits. The full report (pdf) can be download here.
Thanks to Joyce Valenza for mentioning this in her blog, The Neverending Search.
Here's the research pathfinder I created for my students on our school website.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Four interactive exhibits highlight this wonderful site, which has biographies of J.F.K. and his family members, speeches, a media gallery, an online research center with digital archives and a lot more. It's an amazing tribute to the youngest man ever elected as president of the United States.
Top 100 Technology Blogs For Teachers
Looking for technology integration ideas? This list of 100 blogs should be a great place to start. If you want technology integration resources on a smaller scale, here's my section on this site.
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Fake Facebook Wall Generator
With Facebook blocked at your school, how can you get students to create fake walls? MyFakewall is a great alternative which looks like Facebook and can be used by students to create walls for famous people in history. Here's one which was made for Christopher Columbus. Looks like a fun way for kids to do a biography on someone! Thanks to Free Technology For Teachers for the post.
LIBOX Offers No Limit to Your HD Media Storage
As a free service which "syncs your media collection across your computers and streams it to any browser or mobile device", Libox looks very inviting. It claims that it does not add, copy, delete or upload any files to the Internet, just that it remembers where you have them stored on your hard drive. The only question I have relates to the security which is available at that free price. Download is necessary.
Positive Discipline Strategies Yield Quick Results
Here's a helpful video from Edutopia which can help teachers hold their students accountable for their behavior.
The Photo Encyclopedia Which is Constantly Growing
With over 44,000 articles and close to 662,000 photos, Fotopedia is the first collaborative photo encyclopedia. I tried a search on the Wright Brothers and received many results for pages and photo, including other choices for search terms, including Wright Brothers Day, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Wright Brothers flights of 1909. Just like with a Google search. you have to be careful what you click on, because Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect, not one of the Wright Brothers who built a plane. Since none of the results matched what I was looking for, I then clicked on Wright Brothers flights of 1909, which brought me to a question: was the Wikipedia article below relevant to the article I wished to create? It also asked me if I wanted to add photos. There was a map of Kitty Hawk at the end of the article. This project is a collaborative effort; people are constantly adding things to the encyclopedia. This made me see that this project was far from complete, as it couldn't give me what I needed in this search. Perhaps a different topic would have yielded better results. Patience, I told myself. This is a great concept; it just needs time to build its collection. It's on the back burner for now and I'll revisit it in a few months.
Teaching the Ten Steps to Better Web Research
Produced by Dulcinea Media, this wonderful slide show is being used by a top library science school.
Change Plain Presentations With MyBrainshark
Take your plain PowerPoint presentation and add your voice. Narrate. Upload a video and describe it. Or just add your voice to photographs. That's what MyBrainshark will allow you to do. Then you can share your presentation with the world. A free account will let you do all these things. MyBrainshark Pro adds features which I feel will appeal more to businesses than educational organizations.
Sift Through Your Text and View the Word Cloud
Here's a program I'm sure will assist English Language Learners with vocabulary. Once you enter your text, WordSift analyzes it and creates a word cloud of the most used words. You can select individual words and WordSift will provide you with images, videos and a visual thesaurus (word web) for that word. Here is a video of how to use WordSift in the classroom.
A Portal to Media Literacy
Michael Wesch talks about Web 2.0 and how we need to "rethink information, learning and education". Although this presentation was made in 2008, it still has relevance today. It is well worth watching.
I found the video above on Open Thinking Wiki, which is written and compiled by Dr. Alec Couros. Here is a link to 90+ videos for Tech. & Media Literacy.
Scoop.it Collects Information For You
Sounds easy. Create a topic and Scoop.it will proceed to find you links on the Internet which are related to your topic. If you are interested in trying out the free program, click here for an invitation. Here's a short video entitled, Scoop.it in a Nutshell. Thanks to Technology Tidbits: Thoughts of a Cyberhero for the post.
The Scantron Alternative : Dataport
Tired of those expensive Scantron forms? Worrying about the machine breaking down right in the middle of your grading a test?
With Dataport, teachers can have "bubble sheets at their fingertips!" The best part is that it is free. Currently, the site is accepting people through invite only, but don't despair; if you answer their short survey you will be given priority over the wait-listed people. Why not give it a try? You can read their blog here.
Why Most PowerPoint Presentations are Bad
View more presentations from @JESSEDEE.
The Civil War In Four Minutes
Here's an excellent video which tells the story of the Civil War with animation and music which is perfect for that time in history. Thanks to Ken Halla, history teacher and blogger. (U.S. History Teachers Blog)
Students Will Like This Multimedia Encyclopedia
I posted this Wednesday on Twitter, and noticed that many people are talking about it. Here's my take: With short visual presentations, I feel that Qwiki will be more interesting to students than Wikipedia. But just like Wikipedia, entries can be edited by registered users, so information might not be as reliable. So, that said, you can always create your own Qwiki for a class. I searched the term "Study Skills" and found this entry:
TEDBooks Debuts
Available as Kindle single downloads, TED Books are a bargain at $2.99 each. They are just long enough to read at a single sitting. You can find The Happiness Manifesto, Homo Evolutis, and Beware Dangerism on Amazon.com. If you don't own a Kindle you can still read these books on your smartphone or iPad if it has the Kindle App loaded.
Taking Notes Just Became Easier
Created by high school senior Shantanu Bala, Quicklyst aids students in the taking of notes by assisting them with organization. Other features include access to Wikipedia and the Merriam-Webster dictionary and the ability to study using a Kindle, smartphone or iPad. Teachers will also find this program useful when taking notes at meetings or PD workshops. Getting started does not require registration. Thanks to iLearn Technology for the post.
How Do You Use VoiceThread in the Classroom?
Here's an actual VoiceThread with teachers talking about ways that they have used the online program in their classrooms. I personally used VoiceThread last summer in a class I took online. It is very easy to use. Click here to view. Thank you Shelly Terrell for sharing on Twitter.
Blogging for Elementary & Middle School
Here's a really easy, safe site for your students to blog. Kidblog.org was designed for elementary and middle school teachers and students, and requires no student email addresses.
The interface for the blog is very easy to navigate and teachers have control over privacy settings, i.e. who can read the student posts, post approval etc. Mashable.com rated Kidblog the #5 social media tool for teachers.
Want to challenge your students? The ThinkQuest International Competition will allow them to utilize critical thinking, communication and technology skills as they solve a real-world problem. Entries can be as a ThinkQuest Project, Application Development or Digital Media Event. There are several age divisions, covering up to age 22. The early submission date is April 27, 2011, with winners being announced on June 22, 2011. With great prizes to be offered, this competition is sponsored by the Oracle Education Foundation. Click here to view the tutorial.
Looking To Share Certain Parts of Your YouTube Video?
SnipSnip.it allows you to use parts of a YouTube video in class. It's an easy three step process:
1. insert your URL
2. snip
3. your new URL will appear for the "snipped" video
Understand Life Outside Your Home
If It Were My Home is a site which shows how life is in countries around the world. Students can use the country comparison tool to see how people live in other countries compared to theirs and the visualization tool to understand how disaster impacts lives.
Common Questions & Answers For PC Users
Although I am a tried and true Mac user, I am well aware that more of the world's computers use the Windows operating system. So, that said, here is a neat article I found on pcworld.com which answers questions such as "where do my downloaded files go?" "I hear beeps when I turn on my PC. What do they mean? Read more here.
Readable Results From Twurdy
Here's a great search which provides results by reading level. Using Google's search engine, Twurdy "reads" pages and rates the readability level of that page. EXAMPLE: I searched "information literacy" and waited roughly 40 seconds for Twurdy to process my search. Results? Eight pages which were color-coated (shades of the same color) from easier to read to harder to read. I was able to change the chart to show approximate ages for each web page result. By the way, in case you're interested in how Twurdy got it's name, the site says it "comes from a play on words with the question "Too Wordy?"
The 3 A's of Awesome
Neil Pasricha talks about attitude, awareness and authenticity and how optimism will help you lead an awesome life. His blog, 1000 Awesome Things won the 14th annual Webby Awards and each day presents another awesome thing in life. Examples: "the smell of a library", "when someone already highlighted your textbook". Neil's book, The Book of Awesome, can be purchased here.
Click! A Brief History of Computing
LIFE Magazine has put together a great slide show which shows us how computers evolved.
The Library of Congress' Digital Collection is One of the Largest
This video explains how items are scanned at the Library of Congress and what's available in their online collection. To visit the Library of Congress site, click here.
The Role of the Teacher-Librarian and the School Library Program
Mike Eisenberg, Dean Emeritus & Professor of the University of Washington Information School talks about how the 21st century has changed the job description for school librarians (library media specialists) and the things they need to do to adapt to those changes. Excellent series. Find all four parts and more from Dr. Eisenberg here. Thanks to Joyce Valenza for posting on Twitter.
Concerned About the Environment?
Shout invites you and your students to get involved by sharing, collaborating and interacting with others online. The website provides online events, access to Microsoft's Partners in Learning Network and six areas referred to as "shouts", which includes connecting live with experts in the field. Partners in this venture include the Smithsonian Institution, TakingITGlobal and Microsoft Partners in Learning.
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Makeuseof.com's 20+ Free Calendars & Planners List
I love this site because they always have such great information. Makeuseof.com has posted "Best of" and "How to" lists, provides guides, including The Complete Guide to Twitter, An Idiot's Guide to Photoshop and more. This 20+ listing provides downloads for 12 page calendars, one page calendars, a monitor strip, (yes, a year-at-a-glance calendar which you can stick above your monitor) a bookmark calendar and much more. These are hardly ordinary calendars; they are creative and colorful. I'm sure there is something for everyone here. Click here to view them.
Stories About Primary Sources
Awesome Stories offers a large collection of document which cover biographies, trials, sports, religion to name a few topics. Started in 1999, the site uses experts who approve the stories, and teachers who have given their input as well. Lesson plans, slide shows, videos images and audio clips are stored in their archives. Awesome Stories has been recognized by the National Institute for Literacy, CNN, NPR, USA Today and others. The best part of all is that it's free.
Looking For Feedback?
Answer Garden is a "minimal tool for maximum feedback." It's great for online brainstorming or you can use it as a poll. Here's my sample "garden" for you to fill:
Technology integration is... at AnswerGarden.ch.
Collaborate on a Photo Album to Produce.....
...a muvee (it's their term for movie)
with music. Students can use this when working on a project, as it's a great alternative to PowerPoint. Here's a video that explains what Shwup is all about:
Meet, Share & Collaborate
Teachers will find that the Adobe Education Exchange is THE place to go for learning how to integrate Adobe software into the classroom. With lesson plans covering everything from educational practices to math to eLearning, there is something for everyone. It's free to join and well worth it!
Gifted Classroom Ideas
Byrdseed Gifted is a website created by a gifted teacher named Ian Byrd who shares lesson ideas, links/resources, technology articles and social emotional articles. He also has a free pdf entitled "Improve Your Gifted Classroom: 7 Ways in 7 Days."
School Library Media Kids for K-6
SlimeKids is a cute site which is great for elementary media specialists to add to their resources. Divided into sections for games, book reviews, book trailers, authors and reference, it is easy to navigate and is very visually appealing to young kids. It can also be helpful to those media specialists who needs ideas for setting up their own school library media center website.
Here's a Site Like TED Talks
The 99% website has articles, tips, and videos which deal with creativity on some level. Here's a sample below, with Jay O'Callahan, who talks about how storytelling "taps into our imagination".
An Encyclopedia with a Video Twist
Encyclomedia is a video encyclopedia which offers free video clips with everything from Martin Luther King, Jr. to The Great Barrier Reef. Interesting concept.
How to Make an Infographic
In November, I had a posting about how useful infographics could be in the classroom. There is a nice section on my website for creating infographics and a listing of resources for infographics. Today I came across a video which shows how the Golden Parachutes infographic was made in Photoshop. It was so good I had to share it with you. The completed project can be viewed here.
Flowcapping: Golden Parachutes from Jess Bachman on Vimeo.
30 Hours of Free Professional Development
Edublogs is sponsoring the first Teacher Challenge,
which gives teachers the opportunity to "kick start their blogging". There are beginners' and advanced activities, depending on your level of expertise. Collaboration will take place on an open discussion forum. Are you a pro at blogging? You might want to sign up here as a mentor.
This is a great infographic to use in junior or senior high health classes. It was produced by Medical Insurance.org.
**If you enjoy this blog and the website, click here to subscribe
or pass on the link to your colleagues and friends. Your suggestions and
requests are always welcome: cybrarian77@gmail.com
Argument Wars Game for Civics
Compete against another lawyer in a Supreme Court case. Five cases are available to choose from.
Students will enjoy Argument Wars.
CopyPasteCharacter is Awesome!
I don't know about you, but I have found it annoying to add certain characters or symbols to a document or webpage because I can never remember the keyboard combination for that character. CopyPasteCharacter has around 130+ popular characters, and all you have to do is click on the character you need and it is automatically on the clipboard and ready for pasting! ☺
Today's Updates and New Stuff
Math Teachers' Resources
Media Specialists' Resources
Got a Flip Camera?
I found this great presentation in a newsletter I regularly receive from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Tom Barrett shows 45 ways to use video in your class. The presentation is here. I also have a new section of resources for using digital video in the classroom here.
The Project Continues.....
I am happy to announce that I have totally redesigned the site map page! With so many links, it was a tedious task, but it's just the beginning. I have been adding, updating and correcting day and night. (well, it seems that way)
More Updates and New Stuff
Clip Art, Fonts, Graphics, Icons, Stock Photos
Fundraising Resources
Mr. Hastings Talks About Library Fines
I saw this on Twitter today and had to share it with you.
Media Specialist Jeff Hastings made a video where he discusses sharing books and those annoying library notices we have to send out when a book is not returned. Thanks, Joyce Valenza for posting!
In With the New, Update the Old..........
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you enjoyed your week off and are ready to get back to the classroom on Monday. Here is a list of the changes I made to the web site this week. More to follow:
Free Resources page under miscellaneous and storage
Social Networking Tools- addition of many Twitter and Facebook resources for teachers
Backchanneling Resources
Forensic Science Resources and Lesson Plans
Problem Solving Resources
Technology Integration
Anne Frank, The Graphic Biography
If you would like to introduce your students to The Diary of Anne Frank, this graphic biography is a great place to start. Here is a direct link to the book.
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