Character Education – Page 11

Faux Paw and the Dangerous Download

October 12, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment5175 views

What it is: I love iKeep Safe and have blogged about it in the past as an excellent introduction and support for Internet Safety. I learned today about a new Faux Paw book and video called “Faux Paw and the Dangerous Download”. In Faux Paw the Techno Cat’s new adventure, she learns that downloading is a great way to get information, but only when it is done the right way. Faux Paw uses a risky new file sharing program to download a song and learns a lesson the hard way. The video is extremely relevant to the online world that our kids live in and teaches a valuable lesson about illegal file sharing. You can download the pdf version of the book or watch the video (created specifically for iPods but can be viewed with a Quick Time player as well).

How to integrate Faux Paw and the Dangerous Download into the classroom: This is a well made video, book, and story to share with elementary students. The cartoon is easy to understand and will help younger students grasp the difficult concept of illegal downloading and the problems it can cause. Often students can’t discern between safe and non-safe websites and why getting something for “free” isn’t always a good idea. Use this video as part of your Internet safety unit, as an introduction to copyright, or as part of your character education program.

Tips: The Faux Paw series is worth owning. You can purchase books and DVDs for your library. Students will love being able to check out these books to read again and again.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Faux Paw and the Dangerous Download in your classroom.

Story Cove

October 11, 2009October 11, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2359 views

What it is: Story Cove- A World of Stories is an excellent collection of stories from around the world. The folktales come from a variety of cultures and places sharing timeless lessons and universal values. The stories are shared in two ways, as an audio story only, or as a movie. The stories have been collected from countries around the world including: Africa, Asia, Americas, Australia, and Europe. Students can explore the world through the stories told there. Each story is accompanied by a variety of activities including coloring pages, mazes, printable masks, etc. There is a teacher page where you can find lesson plans for each story that extend the story elements to explore the original story with projects and activities that encourage interaction with other students, parents, and teachers. Each story has a lesson for students in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade.

How to integrate Story Cove- A World of Stories into the classroom: Story Cove- A World of Stories is a fun way for students to learn about other cultures and countries through the stories told there. It provides a great tie in between geography, language arts, and social studies. As you are teaching about other countries, use Story Cove as a way for students to understand more about the people who live there. Because the stories have universal values, students will be able to relate them to their own lives. Story Cove can be used with a projector or interactive whiteboard for whole class participation or set up as a story center on classroom computers. These stories are great for building reading strategies like making connections, summarizing, synthesizing, questioning, and evaluating. They are also helpful for language and vocabulary building.

Tips: If you can’t find a place to directly tie in Story Cove in your curriculum, consider introducing a new folktale to students each week of the school year. Use the Story Cove story as a writing prompt for journal writing.

Related Resources: Speakaboos

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

Meet Me at the Corner

September 8, 2009Kelly Tenkely4 Comments1520 views

What it is: Meet Me at the Corner is an inventive site that seeks to take students on virtual field trips through videos created by students. The site started with video podcasts of the history and people of New York City. As the site grows through student submissions, people and events of other towns, cities, and nations will be highlighted. Currently there are video podcasts from Colorado, California, North Carolina, Texas, and Maryland. Through the Meet Me at the Corner videos, students can learn about people, jobs, and places around the country and soon around the world. Students can also submit videos from their corner of the world. Meet Me at the Corner also has video book reviews that can motivate students to read books they may not have considered.

How to integrate Meet Me at the Corner into the classroom: Meet Me at the Corner is a great new resource for introducing your students to the wider world. Students can take a virtual field trip to different states through videos, learning about people, their jobs, and where they live. These videos give your students a better understanding of the world they live in. Meet Me at the Corner encourages student video submissions. Consider creating a class video about your city/state/school to submit to Meet Me at the Corner. It would be great for students to get a first hand look at schools and students from around the world.

Tips: Meet Me at the Corner has a contest section with contests that students can take part in. These contests are updated regularly so be sure to check them out.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Meet Me at the Corner in your classroom.

Image Chef

July 21, 2009July 23, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment3431 views

What it is: Image Chef is a great little web tool that takes words and transforms them into a graphical image. Image Chef is similar in look to Wordle but works a little differently. In Wordle, the size of the word changes based on how frequently the word was used in the text. In Image Chef, the word size doesn’t change based on how frequently it is used in the text. Image Chef takes the words typed in a text box, and displays them in a word mosaic. Image Chef has a variety of shapes and symbols to choose from. Any text entered will be displayed in the shape selected. Registered users can also create their own shapes to display text graphically. Image Chef has the added bonus of graphically displaying text inside letters. The look of the image can be changed by adjusting font, text color, background color, and symbol or initial. Individual words can be highlighted by changing the color and clicking on a word in the mosaic. Word mosaics can be shared on blogs, emailed, printed, or saved on Image Chef.

How to integrate Image Chef into the classroom: Image Chef is a fun web tool for displaying words in new and interesting ways. My favorite feature of Image Chef is the ability to create word mosaics inside letters. This feature would be a good way for students to practice phonics. For example, students could create a letter “a” word mosaic filled with short a words (see my example above). Students could type blends inside of the blend letters, long and short vowel words, r-conrolled words, etc. These word mosaics could be printed out and bound into a phonics booklet for students, or displayed on a word wall. Image Chef mosaics would also be a great way for students to explore synonyms. Students can type synonyms into the text box and find or create an appropriate symbol to represent the words. Image Chef would make for a fun first week of school activity. Students could type in their initials as the shape for the word mosaic. In the text field, they can type in words that represent them. Print these out and display on a bulletin board next to student pictures. For older students, Image Chef could be used to create a large periodic table of elements. Choose the initials that represent the element on the periodic table and type the name of the element in the text box to fill the initials. Create a large periodic table for the classroom with the printed elements.

Tips: I learned about this awesome web tool from a tweet by @njtechteacher, definitely a teacher to follow this #teachertuesday! When you click on the Image Chef Link you will be taken to the Image Chef homepage (the site contains much more than just the word mosaic) To create a word mosaic click on “Word Mosaic” under “Create” in the left column of the website.

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

Dweeber

June 23, 2009June 23, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2119 views

What it is: Dweeber is a social networking site for students that encourages kids to get their homework done faster and with more understanding by working with their school friends online. Dweeber was created to help students understand their strengths and talents, and help them work together more effectively with parents, mentors, and each other. The goal is to get students working together to help them learn, study and do research. Working together collaboratively this way is an important 21st century skill that we should be fostering in our classrooms. Students can invite each other to study sessions where they can work in a collaborative whiteboard type space, chat with fellow students, post successes, and send friends thank you cards for helping out. Students can learn about their unique learning style and will receive tips for working more effectively (SMART profile) these profiles can be shared among friends. Students can also earn ‘guru’ points by sharing and voting on favorite websites, helping others get homework done, and pointing out successes of other students.

How to integrate Dweeber into the classroom: I really like the idea behind Dweeber. This site helps students to understand their own learning, and support fellow students in their learning. I love the way in encourages students to work collaboratively outside the classroom and celebrate each other’s successes. This site is easy to use and will make homework less painful. It has the added bonus of preparing students for the real world where they won’t always be able to work with others face to face. Encourage the use of this site in your classroom. Using a site like Dweeber will build a community of learners in your classroom. Students will support each other in learning and each will be able to shine in their areas of expertise. Statistically, homework doesn’t generally increase learning. Often it is a mindless practice that is easy for those who get it and painful for those who don’t. Those who understood the concept probably didn’t need hours of extra practice and those who didn’t get it just practiced the wrong way for hours. Why not allow students to collaborate and truly learn the material? This is a great way to keep learning and discussions going outside of the classroom.

Tips: Dweeber is designed for students ages 13 to 18. Students must be at least 13 according to the Dweeber terms of use to sign up for the service.

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

The Stock Market Game

June 16, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2123 views

What it is: The Stock Market Game gives students the chance to practice hands on real-world math. Each student gets the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an on-line portfolio. While playing the game, students learn economic and financial concepts that they will use the rest of their lives. The Stock Market Game is intended for students in 4-12 grades. Teachers can register teams of 3 to 5 students. Teachers can register for a FREE team, teachers who want to test out the game before using with their students can register for a FREE teacher team. The cost for actually participating is $10 per team. When teams register they will receive all game materials, state standards that are reached with the Stock Market Game, The math behind the market (units covering math concepts using the Stock Market Game), standards-based lesson plans using the local newspaper, two newspapers per team (Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday), daily accessiblity and support to the Stock Market Game coordinator and staff, an online learning resource center with teaching activities for various grade levels, and a free teacher team. If you do decide to register students as a team, that $10 stretches far!

How to integrate Stock Market Game into the classroom: Students constantly question how they will use math concepts in real life. The Stock Market Game will give them a window into real-life use of mathematics. Students will also gain valuable life skills that they can use outside of school, I wish that I had learned the basics of the stock market in the safety of the classroom using virtual money instead of actual money my first go round!

Tips: Prizes are awarded for winning teams, be sure to look into this soon if you plan on using in your classroom…there is some pre-preparation required.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using The Stock Market Game in your classroom.

Ekoloko

May 20, 2009May 25, 2009Kelly Tenkely2 Comments2271 views

What it is: Ekoloko is a virtual world for kids. In Ekoloko students discover the world, both real and virtual, through fun games and quests. As they play in Ekoloko, students learn and build values, character qualities, knowledge and skills that help them become more responsible and involved individuals. Students learn to respect each other and the environment in the safe online community. While students are in Ekoloko, they are faced with dealing with other characters that are interested in exploring the resources of the world for their own personal benefit.

How to integrate Ekoloko into the classroom: This safe virtual world is a great place for students to practice their netiquette in a controlled environment. In Ekoloko, character qualities are valued, leadership and responsiblity are encouraged. This is a great way for students to learn how to be good online (and offline) citizens. Along the way, students can also practice being good stewards of the environment. Ekoloko reminds me of and would be another great site to introduce to students in preparation for Earth Day. I really appreciate the character values encouraged by this site.

Tips: To view the site in English, select English as the language in the bottom right corner of the site.

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

Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime

May 12, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment2033 views

What it is: Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime is an incredible look into the life of Benjamin Franklin. I learned about this awesome site from @kylepace on Twitter (a great educator to follow if you aren’t already). Students can play, listen, watch, observe and have fun learning about Benjamin Franklin’s life and legacy. Students can explore Franklin’s life by different themes such as Franklin’s character, B. Franklin Printer, Franklin at Home, Doing Good, Franklin at Home, and World Stage. This feature breaks Franklin’s life down into manageable pieces for students and provides a well rounded understanding of who Franklin was and why he is an important figure in American history. As students explore the timeline, they will find quotes, stories, videos, and audio about Benjamin Franklin. I wish there was an interactive timeline of every historical figure like this one! History would have been so much easier for me to understand.

How to integrate Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime into the classroom: This interactive timeline would be great for use with a whole class and Interactive whiteboard. Students could take turns visiting the whiteboard to ‘discover’ a new fact about Benjamin Franklin. Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime could be set up on classroom computers for students to visit as a center during a unit on Franklin. In a computer lab setting, students could be assigned a theme or time period of Benjamin Franklin’s life to explore and share later with the class. Make it even more fun by creating a time machine atmosphere where students can travel back in time to learn about Franklin…stamp their time travelling passports as they ‘journey’ from one period of Franklin’s life to another. This site is an outstanding way to capture students interest in Franklin and American history.

Tips: Show students the help/tips section for a key to understanding the different symbols on Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Franklin’s Interactive Lifetime in your classroom.

Gullah Net

May 8, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment1768 views

What it is: Gullah Net is a site that was designed to introduce students to the Gullah culture and language.”Located on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia are communities of people who are the descendants of enslaved Africans. They have a unique culture that is directly linked to West Africa. In South Carolina, this group of African-Americans and the language they speak are referred to as Gullah (Gul-luh). In Georgia, they are called Geechee (Gee-chee). Native Islanders is another term that refers to the Gullah and Geechee people. Many historians believe that the word “Gullah” comes from Angola, a West African country from which many of the slaves came. Another idea is that “Gullah” is from the Gola, a tribe found near the border of Liberia and Sierra Leone, West Africa. Although the exact origin of the word is not known, most historians agree that the Gullah people and their language have African roots.”

In addition to a history of Gullah, students can listen to and read along folktale stories read by Auntie Pearlie Sue. These are fun little stories with a great message. Gullah music introduces students to the evolution of African music in America. The site is set to have a Gullah cooking section soon.

How to integrate Gullah Net into the classroom: Gullah Net is an excellent place for students to learn about other cultures within the United States. The read along folktales are excellent and would be a good place for students to practice reading skills. Gullah music would be a nice tie in for Black History month (in fact the entire site would be great for this). Gullah Net has some great teacher resources and lessons to use in your classroom. My favorite section on Gullah Net is Gullah Tales, these are colorful, fun stories that will keep your students engaged in reading!

Tips: Gullah Net has field trip resources for those of you in South Carolina.

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

My Award Maker

April 27, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment2446 views

What it is: It is that time of year again, time for end of the year award ceremonies where we remind our students of how far they have come this year and celebrate their achievements. My Award Maker is a site I learned about from Kevin Jarrett’s blog NCS Tech. He found this site just in time for it to be useful for me so I thought I would pass it on so you could benefit as well! My Award Maker is a free, very easy to use award/certificate creator. Choose from one of hundreds of great awards, fill in the information that best fits your needs, and print. It couldn’t be easier and the results are fantastic! This is going to save me from going to Lakeshore or US Toy to hunt for awards for this year, they are as good if not better quality than those you can purchase.

How to integrate My Award Maker into the classroom: At my school, we have a formal end of the year award assembly where students are recogized and celebrated for their hard work throughout the year. This is the perfect place to find an award or certificate for any occasion. Don’t wait for a formal award ceremony, tell your students how proud you are of their achievements and effort year long with class awards and certificates.

Tips: My Award Maker has a special section of Tips and Tricks for making special occasions memorable. Check it out!

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