Category: Blogs

The Week in Rap

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on The Week in Rap2551 views

 

 

What it is:  I remember being forced to pay attention to current events when I was in high school for class assignments.  I know that my teachers were trying to get me to pay attention to what was happening in the world; but, to be perfectly honest, I hated watching an hour of news.  My mind would wander and local news left a lot to be desired (why did I care about the dog who dialed 911 for its owner?).  The Week in Rap brings students current events on their level in a fun and entertaining way.  Every Friday a weeks worth of news is posted in video form.  The entertaining piece comes in the way that the recap of the weeks headlines is presented, in the form of a rap.  The videos will hold your students attention while they keep up to date with what is happening in the world.  The lyrics for each rap are posted below the video.  This free website was created by Flocabulary which makes rap videos about a number of subjects.

 

How to integrate The Week in Rap into the classroom:   The Week in Rap is a good way for your students to get involved with current events.  Use the videos as a launching point for further discussion, a beginning point for research, or have students write a blog post in response to the video.  Students can read more about each story mentioned in the weeks rap by clicking on the link for the news story in the lyrics.  The few that I clicked on brought me to PBS.  

 

Tips:  Since current events are posted every Friday, this site might make a good end of the week fun activity.  

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using The Week in Rap in your classroom.

Kids’ Science Challenge

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Kids’ Science Challenge2503 views

 

What it is:  Kids’ Science Challenge is a nationwide competition for 3rd- 6th graders to submit experiment ideas and problems for real scientists and engineers to solve.  Teachers or after school science programs can enter their classes for this contest that will inspire students to find the fun in science.  The deadline for entry is January 31st, 2009 so get this one in before the holiday break!  The grand prize winner will win a visit with the scientist or engineer to work with them to solve the question or problem proposed, along with possible appearances in Kids’ Science Challenge videos and Pulse of the Planet radio programs.  Other prizes include: a tour of the flavor lab, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream party, science kits, Kids’ Science Encyclopedia and Science books, visit to the SETI institute, telescope, personal planetariums, celestial seeker, a visit to a skateboard engineering workshop, a visit to your school from a pro-skater, a week at camp Woodyard, a skateboard, a physics workshop, a research cruise, kayak, handheld digital microscope, and more!  If that isn’t incentive to give it a try, I don’t know what is!  The first 1000 entrants get a free science activity kit.  The Kids’ Science Challenge website is a great place to explore even if you won’t be able to participate in the challenge.  Students are introduced to real scientists through video, can play science games, and find additional activities including downloadable science projects.  

 

How to integrate Kids’ Science Challenge into the classroom:  Invite your students to explore the Kids’ Science Challenge website and then journal some original questions, problems, or experiment ideas that are related to one of the four fields of science including flavor science, water quality, skateboard engineering, and the search for life in outer space.  This is a great opportunity to use technology creatively to present the questions and problems that students have and want solved.  Think blogs, websites, video, or podcast.  

 

Tips:  Be sure to check out the great lesson plans for the k-12 classroom to use for each of the scientific fields explored on this site.  The lesson plans are aligned to National Science Education Standards.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Kids’ Science Challenge in your classroom.

Voice Thread Update

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on Voice Thread Update4210 views

 

What it is:   Voice Thread is an amazing site that just keeps getting better!  Voice Thread is the site that makes outstanding web 2.0 slide shows interactive and collaborative.  You can read my original posts about Voice Thread here.  Voice Thread came out with an outstanding new update yesterday, the ability to take your Voice Thread’s with you via an iPod!!!  Whenever you export a Voice Thread, you now have the option to download a full sized, high resolution movie version or one that has been formatted to go directly onto you iPod, or iPhone- how sweet is that?!  Additional new features include the ability to clone your Voice Thread so that you can have a backup copy or a copy of the same Thread to use with different audiences.  Voice Thread now supports Microsoft Office 2007 formats when uploading into your Voice Threads with Microsoft Photo Story 3 video supporting coming.  

 

How to integrate the Voice Thread Updates into the classroom:  So, why am I so excited about the new Voice Thread features?  The ability to save a Voice Thread onto an iPod or iPhone opens up a whole new realm of possibilities in the classroom.  Now you can create learning activities with Voice Thread that are portable for your students.  You can extend your students learning day with a Voice Thread based on your curriculum and the students needs using an iPod.  Math explinations,  sight words, phonics, and read alongs can all be created with Voice Thread and uploaded onto the iPod.  Create a reading buddies program with pictures and sound using Voice Thread.  To find out more about the Reading Buddies program click here.

 

Tips:   If you haven’t used Voice Thread in your classroom yet, now is the perfect time to sign up for a free account and start!

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

Pocket Manila

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Pocket Manila2615 views

 

What it is: Pocket Manila is a site that provides online notebooks that can be used as a journal, blog, idea bank, photo album, portfolio, group blog, ezine, story book, and more.  Pocket Manila is unique because it feels like a canvas-bound, manila paper journal.  Pocket Manila makes it feel like you are writing in a real notebook.  The pages turn, writing and pictures automatically flow to the next page and are sized correctly for the page.  Students can easily change the look of their notebooks with colors and themes.  The control panel is simple, streamlined and easy to use.  

 

How to integrate Pocket Manila into the classroom:    Use Pocket Manila in a creative writing classroom as a creative writing journal.  Students can work on their writing wherever they have an Internet connection without having to remember to tote their journals everywhere they go.  Pocket Manila’s sharing ability makes it wonderful for collaboration in writing classes.  Students can read and comment on each others writing, leaving constructive criticism right in their journals.  Pocket Manila is also great used in the science classroom as a place to take lab notes, record observations and the scientific method.  Teachers can use Pocket Manila as a place to collect and organize lesson plans, class notes, etc.  Younger students can use Pocket Manila to record thoughts about books they are reading, practice their writing.  Teachers can comment right in the student notebook.

 

Tips:   I love Pocket Manila because there is something special about having a notebook or writing journal of your own to record thoughts.  Those of us who didn’t grow up with the Internet appreciate simple pleasures like notebooks that feel like notebooks and day runners full of sticky notes and scribbled reminders!  Pocket Manila provides the nostalgia of a notebook and the convenience and cool factor of digital. 

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

Group Table

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Group Table10567 views

 

What it is: “GroupTable is a web-based software and success network developed specifically to help student groups improve document management, project planning and communication.”  Group Table helps students stay organized with all of their group projects and study groups in one place.  Students can see all of their groups in one place including any file uploads, posts, tasks, upcoming events and more.  Each student and group has their own binder on Group Table that allows them to organize, store and share word documents, presentations, and spreadsheets in one easy-to-use location.  Group Table has the ability to create to do lists and assign tasks or remind others about upcoming events.  Each group gets a dedicated chat room and discussion board with Group Table making collaboration and communication simple and efficient.  This site was created by college students for students.  Although the target audience is high school and college age students, Group Table could be effectively used in the secondary elementary classroom and the middle school classroom.

 

How to integrate Group Table into the classroom:   For high school and college students, Group Table is a great site to introduce students to for their own group creation.  Secondary elementary and middle school students would benefit from a teacher led group on Group Table.  This is a great way to introduce your students to effective collaboration, communication, and 21st century literacy skills.  It is essential that students learn how to collaborate on projects using web 2.0 technologies and Group Table provides the perfect space to practice.

 

Tips:   Teachers, create a study group for your classroom that your students can join.

 

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

Lunarpages Free Education Web Hosting

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Lunarpages Free Education Web Hosting2565 views

 

What it is:  Lunarpages is a web hosting web service that offers free hosting to k-12 educators and schools!  The free web hosting is intended to be used by teachers only (individual student web hosting is not available).  Lunarpages will provide a free web builder, free unlimited phone and email support, unlimited email addresses and FTP accounts, 500MB of storage, 20GB data transfer, and one free domain name registration for each account.   The only stipulation?  You must have a banner ad somewhere on the site that says that Lunarpages donated the site…thats it!  

 

How to integrate Lunarpages into the classroom:  Lunarpages hosting is an excellent option for those of you who enjoy building your websites with software like iWeb.  It is also an excellent option for a class website built with the web builder Lunarpages provides.  Classroom websites are an outstanding way to communicate with parents and students about the goings on in your classroom.

 

Tips:   The free web hosting is only available for k-12 public schools. Learn about how to get your free web hosting with Lunarpages here.

 

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

The Cool Teacher Podcast

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on The Cool Teacher Podcast2326 views

 

What it is:   The Cool Teacher Podcast is a podcast by educational technologist Chris Haskell who is an instructor for pre-service teachers in methods and applications of technology integration in the classroom (notice any similarities to iLearn Technology?).  The podcast “delivers cool tools, techniques, and tactics to transform your teaching.”  In episode #7 that came out yesterday, Chris gives a shout out to iLearn Technology’s post on Glogster (thank you Chris!!).  The podcasts are very entertaining to listen to and give great ideas for using technology in the classroom!

 

How to integrate The Cool Teacher Podcast into the classroom:    The Cool Teacher Podcast is a wonderful stop (in addition to iLearn Technology) for great ideas and tips for integrating technology into your classroom.  You can find the Cool Teacher Podcast at the links here as well as on iTunes in the iTunes store (it is free to subscribe to).  Listen to these great podcasts while you are grading, on the drive home, or while you are cleaning up your classroom for the day…just be sure to keep a pad and pencil handy to jot down the great ideas you are sure to hear!

 

Tips:  Chris also has a blog related to the podcasts, you can check that out here.  Thanks again Chris!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using The Cool Teacher Podcast in your classroom.

Glogster EDU!

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Glogster EDU!3544 views

 

What it is:  I wrote a post last week about a site called Glogster, since that post Glogster has introduced Glogster EDU!  Glogster for Education is a site that lets students combine graphics, photos, videos, music, and text into a great web 2.0 online poster.  Glogs are an outstanding way to enhance learning, wikis, and blogs.  Glogster EDU offers support and help with creating school accounts and keeping Glogs private.  

 

How to integrate Glogster EDU into the classroom:    As I mentioned last week, Glogster is a creative way for your students to display knowledge.  Students can create Glogs for absolutely any subject.  Glogster is wonderful for book reports, history, math concepts, science, and literature.  The ability to embed Glogs into wikis and blogs is outstanding and makes Glogs even more versatile.

 

Tips: Send Glogster EDU feedback about features you would like to see specifically for education…they have committed to updates based on your feedback!

 

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

Glogster

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Glogster3328 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.

Smile Box

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Smile Box3149 views

 

What it is:  Smile Box is a free application that I love.  The scrapbooker in me loves Smile Box for all of the digital scrapbooking qualities.  The teacher in me loves all of the classroom applications that Smile Box could be used for.  Smile Box is a free software that lets students combine photos, videos, and music into one amazing multimedia presentation.  Smile Box used to only be available for PC’s but now have a Mac version that is outstanding.  The Mac version integrates seamlessly with iPhoto and iTunes without any additional plugins!  Students can choose from over 700 design templates to use as a base to combine media.  The final Smile Box project can be embedded in a blog, sent via email, or printed.  

 

How to integrate Smile Box into the classroom:  Smile Box has many classroom applications.  The software is a great place for students to do some digital storytelling combining pictures, podcasts, and video.  Students could create a weekly paper about the happenings in your classroom, a memory book for each student for the end of the year, etc.  Smile Box is also a great place for students to make Mothers/Fathers day cards, Christmas cards, Happy Thanksgiving greeting, etc.  Students can also use Smile Box to create rich content reports.  For example, instead of writing a paragraph about what they learned while studying about Russia, students could create a media rich postcard about Russia.  

 

Tips:  Smile Box is simple to use and very intuitive.  Students will love creating with 

Smile Box!  

 

 

Leave a comment and share how you are using Smile Box in your classroom.