Websites – Page 72 – iLearn Technology

Kids and Cookies

November 4, 2008Kelly Tenkely1 Comment3104 views

What it is: Kids and Cookies is an online flash game that teaches elementary students about fractions in a game setting. Students choose characters to be their “friends” and then choose how many cookies they have. They have to evenly share the cookies with their friends and can use different cutters to divide the cookies. The site provides a great introduction to rational number fractions.

How to integrate Kids and Cookies into the classroom: This is a great site for introducing your students to the concepts of fractions, especially those at the “sharing” and “fair” age because of the way that they have to share and split up the cookies fairly. This would be a good whole class activity with an interactive whiteboard or a projector where students take turns sharing their cookies. As they share the cookies, talk about the fractions of cookies (for example when they split the cookie in half or in thirds.) This would also be a perfect site to use as a math center. Students can visit the center in groups and discuss their findings as a whole class after every student has had the opportunity to interact with the site.

Tips: You can find more advanced (much more advanced) flash math games and activities on the Center of Technology and Education site where the Kids and Cookies game is hosted. This is also a great game for those of you who don’t have Internet access in your classroom because their is a free downloadable version of the game for Macs and PC’s…cool!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Kids and Cookies in your classroom.

Learning Clip

November 3, 2008November 3, 2008Kelly Tenkely1 Comment3286 views

What it is: Learning Clip is a wonderful FREE math site out of the UK that provides short learning clips to be used in primary math classes. The short video clips are explanations of math concepts. Each video clip is followed by a game or activity where students can practice the new concept. The whole site is intended to be used in whole class instruction with an interactive whiteboard (although they could be used just as successfully with just a projector or computer/TV hookup). Many of the activities have been integrated with the Active Vote system. If you are lucky enough to have an Active Vote set in your school this is a must see site! The videos and activities are appropriate for first through fifth grades. You do have to register to use the resources on this site, but it is free to register and a very quick process.

How to integrate Learning Clip into the classroom: Use this site to introduce your students to new math concepts. Use an interactive whiteboard, projector, or TV to show the videos. Let students take turns “controlling” the computer during the activity portion. If you have an Active Vote system be sure to actively involve your students in math learning with the integrated activities. This site would also be appropriate for the one or two computer classroom. Set up Learning Clip as a math center for students to visit while they are working on new math concepts or practicing old concepts.

Tips: This site was created in the UK so money and measurement clips may not work in your classroom. The other concepts should blend with your curriculum seamlessly.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Learning Clip in your classroom.

Cyberbee Copyright Application

October 31, 2008Kelly Tenkely3 Comments4680 views

What it is: Cyberbee Copyright is an online flash application to teach students about copyright laws. Copyright laws can be difficult to teach and difficult for students to understand. Cyberbee makes it simple. The flash site features students raising their hands, each asking a different question about copyright issues. When students “call” on the cyber student, they get the answer to the question. The site uses language that is easy for students to understand.

How to integrate Cyberbee Copyright Application into the classroom: This is a great site to introduce your students to before any research project. The interactive nature of the site makes it perfect for an interactive whiteboard and whole class participation. The Cyberbee Copyright Application is a site to bookmark on your classroom, library, and computer lab computers. Students can refer to the site often to refresh themselves on copyright laws.

Tips: Take a look at the other offerings of Cyberbee for research projects. You will find web evaluation resources, citing electronic sources, a quick site tool, and more!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Cyberbee Copyright Application in your classroom.

My Mobile Witness

October 30, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2399 views

I am on Fall Break this week (hallelujiah!) so I am thinking of things non-school related and found a must view for all of you gals out there- guys check it out for the loved ones in your life. My Mobile Witness is a completely FREE program that turns your cell phone into a personal safety device. Basically, any time you feel uncomfortable about a situation (weird guy following you at Target, blind date, first time meeting an eHarmony match, etc.) you take a picture and text it to your My Mobile Witness account. My Mobile Witness stores the picture with a time stamp in the digital vault. Should anything happen, My Mobile Witness works with law enforcement…now you always have a witness! So, you can use My Mobile Witness when you meet a blind date for the first time, enjoying yourself on spring break, your car breaks down and someone stops to help, a new repair man comes into your home, a friend leaves a party with someone she just met, you worry about an obsessive ex, a guy eyes your shopping bags on the subway, you spot a suspicious van in the parking lot, you go for a jog in the park after dark, a driver gets hostile with you on the road, you go on a trip away from home, or you go hiking in the back country. This is truly an incredible service, check it out, sign up, and then send it to everyone you love.

Toy Maker

October 24, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment3286 views

What it is: Toy Maker is a website full of free paper toy downloads. While it isn’t directly using technology in the classroom, this is a great site to visit for the free downloads. Toy Maker has everything from paper animals (origami type), to awesome math and learning toys, to toys that move, and gift boxes. This site offers really amazing downloads and teaches students how to follow step by step instructions to create their toy.

How to integrate Toy Maker into the classroom: The math and learning toys on the Toy Maker site are perfect for integrating into your existing curriculum. Living in Colorado means a lot of indoor recess days in the winter months, these toys offer excellent activities for those indoor days! The gift boxes are perfect for holiday gifts home (Christmas, Mother’s day, Father’s day, etc.) or for exchanging with learning buddies. Younger students will enjoy creating one of the animals and writing a story to accompany it.

Tips: Share this site with parents, they will love these printables for rainy days at home!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Toy Maker in your classroom.

Primary Access

October 23, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2478 views

What it is: Primary Access is a tool I learned about today while attending one of the K12 Online conference sessions. This incredible site has a web-based tool that offers students and teachers simple access to digital images and materials that provides them the opportunity to create personal narratives. The idea behind the site is that if students are offered primary source documents, they develop better historical thinking skills. I highly recommend you watch the presentation on k12 Online, to see just how accurate this belief was in a case study of the site. Students use Primary Access to create digital movies (historical narratives) that help add to meaningful learning experiences. The site is very simple to use, intuitive enough that even a student (or teacher) who has never created a digital movie would be successful.

How to integrate Primary Access into the classroom: Use Primary Access as a tool to bring history to life for your students. Using the site, students can create a short digital movie that explores some event in history. The digital movie will only be 1-3 minutes in length and can contain images, text, movies, and narration recorded in the students own voice. Students have a place to write, research, narrate, view, and search a time line and idea map right in Primary Access. The finished product is educational and entertaining for the creator and viewers. The results with this site are truly amazing! It really does bring history to life.

Tips: It isn’t obvious how to create a teacher account on Primary Access, to create an account go to http://primaryaccess.org/teacher.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Primary Access in your classroom.

Math Arcade

October 22, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2687 views

What it is: Math Arcade is a branch of the Fun Brain Website. Students in first through eighth grades can practice math facts and math skills through fun, interactive games. When students go to Math Arcade, they will see a board game board. They have to successfully complete each game before they can move their game piece to another spot on the game board. Each spot on the game board represents an appropriate age level game. Students can write down a special password to save and return to their saved game at another time. There are 25 games at each grade level to play.

How to integrate Math Arcade into the classroom: Math Arcade is a great website to help students practice math facts and skills. There is enough variety on the site to keep kids interested. The game board atmosphere gives students a goal to complete, they have to successfully play all 25 games to reach the end. This site would be a great one to use as a math center, or in a computer lab setting as a math treat once a week. Students can progress through the site based on their math ability.

Tips: Bookmark this page on your classroom computers for students to access throughout the school day or during free time.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Math Arcade in your classroom.

Apple Field Trips

October 21, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2325 views

What it is: The Apple Store is offering field trips to k-12 students and schools! Students can create something amazing on their field trip to the Apple store, or bring in a finished project that they have created and turn the store into a theater to share their work. Parents, teachers, and friends can attend the event to celebrate student achievement. Each event can accommodate up to 25 students. A field trip lasts one hour but more time can be scheduled on an individual basis. Right now, schools can request up to 3 date options for a field trip at a time. When you schedule a field trip, Apple takes care of invitations to send home with students, and assigns a contact person to plan the field trip for your school. Additionally, the teacher who sets up the event receives one year of complementary One to One membership. Every participating student receives a special Apple t-shirt.

How to integrate an Apple Field Trip into the classroom: If you have access to Apple computers at your school the create and share field trip option is for you. Students can work on a project (multimedia is probably best) and use the Apple Field Trip as a place to showcase and share their accomplishments. If you don’t have access to an Apple lab or don’t have regular access to computers at all, use the field trip as a time for your students to learn and create using the computer. This is a really amazing FREE opportunity, be sure to take advantage of this offer from Apple!

Tips: Right now field trips are only being offered through November 21st. Even if you can’t fit in a field trip before the deadline, be sure to let Apple know what a fabulous idea these field trips are and encourage them to offer future field trip options.

Leave a comment and tell us how your Apple Field Trip went.

Grammar Games

October 17, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2679 views

What it is: The British Council has created an A-Z website of 69 Grammar
Games to help students learn and practice English grammar rules. I wouldn’t characterize many of the activities “games” but instead interactive practice. The Grammar Game website provides students with a quality explanation of each grammar rule and then gives them an activity where they can practice applying those rules. I think you will be hard pressed to find a grammar rule that was left off this site. As I was browsing through the Grammar Games site, I found many rules that I don’t recall being taught but knowing them would have been (is) helpful!

How to integrate Grammar Games into the classroom: Use the Grammar Game website as a place for your students to practice grammar rules they are learning in the classroom. You could also assign each student in your class a different grammar rule. Students can use Grammar Games to learn about the rule, practice the rule, and then teach the rule to other students. This is a great place for students to explore and interact with. Use a projector to introduce a new grammar rule to your students each day or at the beginning of each week. Students can practice the grammar rule with the activity that accompanies that rule on the classroom computers throughout the week.

Tips: Bookmark this page on your classroom and library computers so students can use it as reference during writing.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Grammar Games in your classroom.

Glogster

October 16, 2008Kelly Tenkely2 Comments4527 views

What it is: Glogster is a great creativity site who’s tag line is “poster yourself”. A ‘glog’ is basically an online poster web page. Students can combine text, pictures, graphics, video, and audio to create an interactive online poster. Glogster has a very simple to use interface. The final glog can be hosted by Glogster or you can embed it into a wiki, blog, or class web site.

How to integrate Glogster into the classroom: Glogster is an awesome way for your students to display knowledge. Instead of creating a poster for a presentation, students can create an interactive glog to display information. Glogster can be used for history, math, language arts, book reports, science, social studies, and for public service announcements. In fact, I am having a hard time coming up with a subject that couldn’t use Glogster in some capacity. Students can create these online posters to display any knowledge or learning. You really have to see this site, the creativity that it allows for will get your wheels spinning. Once you start using Glogster with your students, you are going to think of all kinds of new applications. Because Glogster has the ability to handle audio, students can create podcasts (using Audacity, Garageband, G-Cast or Gabcast) and upload the content into their glog. So cool! I really love that students can share their school work and accomplishments online with classmates, family, and friends. Give your students an authentic audience and their work will dazzle you!

Tips: You can check out a quick sample glog that I created here about Internet Safety.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Glogster in your classroom.