Category: For Teachers

Podcast

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What it is: A podcast is a digital media recording that can be saved on and distributed over the Internet.

How to use Podcasting in your classroom: Use a podcast to record students reading. This can be used for reading records, for pronunciation, and reading fluency. Students, teachers, and parents can listen to reading records recorded over the course of the school year for fluency and progress made. Podcasts can also be used to share news with students and families, guest speakers, student presentations, student produced podcasts, lessons, assessment, digital stories, motivation, auditory learners, celebrating student work, interactive media center, a tool to help struggling students, to provide a “window” to your classroom for parents, and to show student growth at parent teacher conferences.

Tips: Podcasts can be created using several programs such as Apple’s Garageband (this application comes standard on Macintosh computers), Audacity which is a free open source software for recording and editing sounds, and My Podcast where podcasts can be recorded and hosted for free.

Spelling Wizard

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What it is: The Spelling Wizard gives students two cool ways to memorize their spelling words. First students type in 10 spelling words, then they choose between two fun games. In Spelling Scramble students unscramble letters to practice their spelling words. In Make a Word Search students hunt for their spelling words in a word search to practice their words.

How to integrate Spelling Wizard into the classroom: Set up computers as a study center where students can practice their spelling words. This site would be great for use as an “I’m finished, now what?” activity.

Tips: Remind students that the words HAVE to be spelled correctly, otherwise they will practice their words incorrectly.

 

 

Pod’s Mission

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What it is: Pod’s Mission is dedicated to teaching kids science in a fun, interactive environment. Topics include bones, electricity, and solids and liquids.

How to integrate Pod’s Mission into your science classroom: Set up classroom computers during science time as an interactive learning center. Students can begin a unit by exploring on Pod’s Mission, as practice during a unit, or as a culminating activity at the end of the unit.

Tips: Visit the teacher guide for a site overview, curriculum relevance, lesson plans (online and offline), classroom activities, and printable worksheets.

 

 

Bite Size Reading

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What it is: Bite Size Reading is part of BBC Schools. Bite Size Reading includes online deduction, dictionary, non-fiction, and poetry activities and quizzes.

How to integrate Bite Size Reading into your reading curriculum: Use the corresponding online lessons and worksheets during your reading time. Set up the Bite Size Reading site as a center that students visit as part of their reading lesson.

Tips: You can embed activities right on your website or blog with the code provided!

 

 

Spellits

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What it is: Spellits is designed for 7-11 year olds, this website offers interactive activities and printable resources which teach spelling strategies, rules, and patterns. The spelling activities are integrated into three games, making spelling practice and learning fun.

How to integrate Spellits into your language arts curriculum: Use Spellits to improve student spelling. Students will easily be able to work independently through the activities, there are support functions built right into the site such as a dictionary and clue list. Set up Spellits as a center during literacy or spelling time. Students can use Spellits to help build a word wall in the classroom.

Tips: This is a British site so some of the words are spelled slightly differently (ex. colour).

 

 

Graphic Organizers

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What it is: Graphic Organizers by Houghton Mifflin is a collection of 33 free, printable graphic organizers for use in the classroom.

How to integrate Graphic Organizers into the classroom: Integrating technology isn’t just about the students using computers, it is also about making your life easier! This is a site you will return to over and over again for great graphic organizers. Use these graphic organizers to guide student learning as they are exploring other educational websites.

Tips: Graphic Organizers include clock, cluster/word web, describing wheel, fact-and-opinion chart, five w’s chart, flow chart, four column chart, garden gate, ice-cream cone, idea wheel, inverted triangle, ISP chart, KWL chart, KWS, chart, ladder, observation chart, persuasion map, planning chart, problem-solution chart, sandwich, sense chart, sequence chart, spider map, step-by-step chart, story map, T-chart, ticktacktoe, time-order chart, and tree chart.

 

 

Power Proofreading

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What it is: Power Proofreading is a fun, interactive site by Houghton Mifflin that builds students proofreading skills. Students are introduced into a real-world situation where proofreading skills are needed. HME-TV’s power has gone out and they need students help to fix TV scripts, memos, and other writings at the station. Students proofread level appropriate material by selecting their grade level before the game begins.

How to integrate Power Proofreading into the classroom: Mix up the proofreading practice and use this site in place of standard DOL worksheets. Students will appreciate the interactivity and ease of use of this site.

Tips: Instead of bookmarking the home page of this site, bookmark the correct grade level.

 

 

Rhymer

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What it is: Rhymer is a free online rhyming dictionary from Write Express. Students can find end rhymes, last syllable rhymes, double rhymes, beginning rhymes and first syllable rhymes.

How to integrate Rhymer into your classroom: Set up an inspiration center during a poetry unit. Students can stop by the center when they need a little poetic inspiration.

Tips: Bookmark this site for easy access.

 

 

imbee.com

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What it is: Social networking is now school networking! Imbee allows teachers to extend their classroom beyond four walls and onto the Internet. Establish class blogs and promote online interaction and collaboration. Teachers and Parents can work together closely to guide and teach about social responsibility online while increasing classroom learning.

How to integrate imbee.com into your classroom: Use imbee as a platform for your students to publish their work. This will give students a sense of audience and act as a motivator for students. Students can collaborate on projects and help edit each others work. This is a wonderful tool for teaching students Internet safety and responsibility in a safe, controlled environment.

Tips: Visit imbee.com/teacher for lesson plans, a teacher tour, and to find answers to questions you may have about imbee. The creators of imbee are very open and willing to take teacher suggestions and implement them in new imbee versions.

 

 

Cavantastic

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What it is: Canvastic is a great student focused graphics and text publishing tool for kindergarten through eighth grade. It has easy to use tools and options. You won’t find any of the “toy” features that you find in Kid Pix type applications. The control given to teachers is wonderful. Teachers can give students access to tools gradually so that as they learn more, they can use more. It actually grows with the user. It has the best spell checking feature for students I have seen. You can try Canvastic for free in your classroom for as long as you like but the print, export, and save features are disabled. For $39 you can purchase Canvastic.

How to integrate Canvastic into your classroom: Use Canvastic as part of your publishing center. Students can publish written stories complete with illustrations. Students can create their own graphic organizers on any subject using the Canvastic software.

Tips: Join the Canvastic community to contribute ideas for improvement of the software, how you are using it in your classroom, and to foster an atmosphere of communication and exchange. In the Community you will find example lesson plans that are tied to state and national standards.