Embedit.in, Now Anything Can Be On Your Webpage!

Have you ever wanted to put something on your website, but didn't want to bother with making an attachment?  Or maybe you have a blog or wiki that won't allow attachments.  Well, so I have a solution for you!  Try using the free service of Embedit.in! 

With this site, you simply upload a file, for example, a Word document or a pdf.  Change the size and background color if you wish, change permissions on printing and sharing...all with the click of your mouse, I might add!  Then click to copy the embed code to your computer's clipboard and you're ready to put your document in your website.  (All you do is paste the code in the html code section of your website or blog and you will see it on your page!)

Here's one I did.  It was originally a Word document, OH and did I mention that Embedit.in also allows you to draw over your file?  This can help you point out the important details....or draw a smiley face of course!

Free Documentaries - Inspire Knowledge, Debate, and more.

I wanted to share today's site because I think it can be the source of fuel for a great many debates in a high school classroom.  Have your students watch one of these documentaries on Free Documentaries.org and shake them out of their "blissfully unaware" status quo.

This site offers free steaming (and promised future download capabilities) of a couple hundred documentaries.  There are several topics including history, popular culture, politics, and more.  I have previewed several of the videos and I found that I only had to watch one advertisement at the beginning.  I was unable to watch the movies in their entirety, but I assume that they are uninterrupted by ads for the rest of their duration. 

I was excited to see that well-known documentarian Michael Moore also had some of his films listed on the site, but I was unable to get them to play.  However, that does not mean that the others are of a lesser quality.  Why not use the film Santa's Workshop in your economics class to provoke discussion on cheap labor and it's moral costs.  Maybe you would use the 6-part mini series Hitler's Holocaust to give your students a chilling story of what happened during that terrible time.  Or have your health class take a look at The Tobacco Conspiracy and have a debate over business vs. general good.

What's great about documentaries, is you can use them to show first hand facts.  If you are using them to spark a debate, you can show how not all issues are black and white, or the news you hear at 7:00 each night might not be the whole truth.  Share these with your students and see what you can spark within them.

Get Your Kids Interested in Government with iCivics!

Today is the big day!  Time to vote!  In celebration of our nation's finest quality, I want to highlight a great site that will help your students understand the different branches of our government and see that the jobs of politicians are not always easy!

Check out iCivics and go to the game section where your students can be immersed in the life of a lawyer in the Supreme Court, a legislator, or even the president!  These are real eye-openers!

Scholastic SMART Lessons Collection

Hey K-12 teachers!  Did you know that Scholastic offers pre-made Notebook files for you to download?  The activities available from Scholastic's SMART Lessons Collection are under the following categories: Back to School, Math and Science, Earth Day, Famous People, or Phonics Lesson Activities.  There are activities under each of these for students K through 12.  You can download them and use them as is or tweak them for your own specific uses.  There is also a link to the SMART Exchange.  Check them out!

SchoolTube - Videos for Education

Hello all!  Boy, what a busy month it has been!  Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've been so crazy in both districts!  Anyway, I have a great post for today! 

SchoolTube is a fantastic place to find educational videos that won't get blocked by Youtube filters.  Ads are minimal and, as far as I've seen so far, safe for school...no dating advertisements that is!  You can browse through featured videos and search for videos that are specific to what you are teaching.  The videos are made by students and teachers around the country and uploaded here to be shared.  Comments are controlled so you won't get any cyber-bullying here.

You can sign up for a FREE teacher account so you are able to favorite videos and upload videos that you or you students made.  This is a great way to share movie projects and photo slide shows that your students have made.  Even your students can create accounts, but it is up to you as the teacher to moderate all video submissions before they can be seen on the site.

There is so much available on this site!  But what's great is there are plenty of video tutorials to help you figure out things along the way.  Check it out!

Make Beliefs Comix

There seem to be a growing collection of online comic strip editors.  The most recent one I've found is Make Beliefs Comix.

Students are able to go in to the site without making an account and choose from pre-made characters with various emotions.  Students can also customize the number of cells in the comic, the size of objects, background color, and more.  When students are finished, they simply print the comic out (either to a printer, or by "printing" to pdf).  The finished comic can also be emailed.

The site is a bit limited in the character selection, and you have to be careful since the site does not store comics...a reload or using the back button will cause you to lose your work.

Have fun!

 

CLICK TO MAKE LARGER

Creative Writing Video Prompts

Ok, forgive me for getting into the Halloween spirit before it's even October, but I just can't help it!  I found this video today while browsing for Halloween lesson ideas to post for the month of October.  I got so excited about how you all could use this that I just could not wait for Friday.

Anyway, I found this video on the UK site, teachers.tv.  It's basically the United Kingdom's version of Teacher Tube.  The video explains it's use in the first couple minutes and then supplies seven different story starters that are dramatic and a bit creepy....but I guess that depends on where your little writers take the story!  Watch the video below and let me know what you think!  Maybe you could even come back and post a student's story!

Mission US, a fantastic US history resource!

I have discovered that there is a wonderful new online resource to learn about the Revolutionary War.  Mission US is an free online adventure game.  You as the teacher can preview by playing through each of the chapters and then set up a class of students so your students can do the same.  You can also track your students' progress through the game!

As you play, you will see the preceding events of the  Revolutionary War in 1770 Boston from the viewpoint of young apprentice, Nat Wheeler.  You can click on your surroundings, learning about daily life, political cartoons, and vocabulary of the time.  You can also unlock a Rock Band-esque mini game where students practice playing the penny flute and songs of that era.  It is loads of fun and completely educational, your students will LOVE it!

Register for FREE and share any experiences here!

Remembering 9/11, looking forward to peace.

Welcome to week two everyone. I hope the weekend went well for you all.  As you may well know, September 11th was this past Saturday.  9 years ago, a terrible tragedy happened and I think part of our job as teachers is to look at the past as a way to help our students envision a better future.  I have found a website that helps do just that.  Part of the Tribute to the WTC website is a collection of stories gathered from people who were affected by the tragedy but have taken great strides towards peace and rebuilding. 

Personal Stories of Transformation shares stories from individuals and teams of people who have done something to commemorate victims, move towards peace, or assisting those affected by the terrible day.  The site, geared towards grades 5 and up, comes complete with discussion questions, accompanying videos, and a complete teacher's guide with standards included.

Awesome online science with LHS Kids

The first site of the year is a branch of Lawrence Hall of Science from the University of Berkley called LHS Kids. 

LHS Kids has some really great places to check out.  Your students can do an online experiment like testing materials for cleaning up oil spills and learning about the functionality of different bird beaks.  Students can follow along with the experiments, fill in their answers, and even submit their final findings for comparison with other kids using the site!

Students can also check out pictures and videos of ongoing exhibits at the museum, take online quizzes, play arcade games, listen to whale sounds, and learn about interesting animals.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Happy Summer!

Well, what a year it has been!  I have learned a lot by keeping this blog, and I hope that you all can say that you learned something by reading it.  I am wrapping things up for this year because next week is jam-packed with training and because I've been busy this week, I doubt I'll have any time to post!

I will be back at posting come September, and I am anticipating an address change for the blog since I will be taking a new last name! Either way, check back here (http://ambergooshaw.blogspot.com) and I will steer you towards where you need to be. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

6/18/10 1679

Admongo

Last week, I found out about today's post through one of the blogs I follow; Kristin Swanson's blog Teacher's as Technology Trailblazers.  The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) funds a site called Admongo.This site was established to help educate kids about the true meaning behind advertisements.  In our age of text messaging, web surfing, and more, kids are even more susceptible to advertising than ever.  So, we should take the opportunity to educate our children about the typically misleading nature of advertisements before they go clicking on any pretty, well-placed ad.

Admongo lets students play through advancing levels of a fun video game to learn about ads and what they are all about.   What I really like about this site is that it also offers a text-version of the game for teachers who may not have time for students to play through the video version.  While playing or following along, students can learn how to spot an ad, parts of an ad, hidden messages ad's want you to believe, types of ads, how designers target with ads, placement, platforms, and more.  I would say this would best be used with 5-8 grade students.

The site doesn't condmen advertising...relentless process though it may be......it just allows an opportunity for students to see the behind-the-scenes world of advertising and have some knowledge so as not to be sucked in so easily.

What's in the Windosill?

Windosill is a funky website that is meant for fun.  Have your students explore the site to find out what's in the dark!  Light up the room to see if your guesses were right!  Make sure your speakers are on so you can hear the sounds!

Honestly, Windosill is kind of hard to explain, so check it out to see for yourself!

Crayon Physics is so fun!!

http://www.crayonphysics.com/download_demo.php

Create objects that obey the laws of physics....with crayon!

Make beautiful music in your classroom with a virtual keyboard!

Want a piano in your classroom without taking up all the space?  Check out this virtual keyboard!  Ok, so maybe it's not the same as a baby grand, but you can still have fun with it and it works great on an interactive white board!  Enjoy!

Parts of Speech Fun

For a fun way to practice parts of speech as well as keep things interesting as the school year comes to a close, try out Wacky Web Tales!  For all intents and purposes, Wacky Web Tales is a spin-off of the Mad Libs games.  Have students pick a story to fill in and then fill out the form with the corresponding parts of speech.  Get stuck because you can't remember what an adjective is?  Simply click on the Parts of Speech Help box and be reminded!  Once the form is filled out, click to read your funny story!

This can present well at the SMART Board if you don't mind using the on screen keyboard.  Or, have students work in pairs to make funny stories to share with the class!  Have a blast!

Kerpoof!

Kerpoof is a site hosted by Disney that is a great place for young students to be make pictures, write stories, practice spelling, and generally get creative!  Here's a list of what students can do on Kerpoof, straight from the website itself:

• Make artwork (even if you aren't good at drawing!)
• Make an animated movie (really! it's easy!)
• Earn Koins which you can trade for fun things in the Kerpoof Store
• Make a printed card, t-shirt, or mug
• Tell a story
• Make a drawing
• Vote on the movies, stories, and drawings that other people have made 

 

 See what your students think!

No Words.

I cannot even describe the atrocity of this....

Want to keep your students up on current events?  See below and maybe one of them will become the person we need to make sure this never happens again.

BP Oil Spill Live feed: click here.

SAT Prep

The last day to take the SAT for this school year is almost here....June 5th.  It's too late to register now, but I thought I'd share a pretty neat prep site that I found.  Major Tests.com has some nice practice exams that when taken, offer good explanations for why an answer is wrong.  The site also has section to prepare for the GRE's and GMAT's.

Memorial Day

Getting ready for Memorial Day?  Here are some resources to help your classes (K-12) honor the day of remembrance for our Armed Forces.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM!!!!

-A general list of resources including worksheets craft ideas and more: The Teacher's Corner - Memorial Day

• Some of my favorites from the previously mentioned list:
• Web Hunt 
• Hand Print Flag Craft Idea 
• Lesson Idea for Our State's Roll in Vietnam
• Vietnam Vets Memorial - Online

-Thinkfinity is also highlighting some specific resources in honor or Memorial Day.  Check them out here.

• Really neat interactive from the Thinkfinity resources: 
• explore a virtual museum of war artifacts

Internet Safety for Elementary Children

 I just wanted to branch off of yesterday's post with a spin of the same type of content for younger students.  The Professor Garfield Foundation, sponsored by the Virginia DOE (but still applicable here in NY!) has a wonderful website with lessons about internet safety.  Each lesson has a video segment to watch, a review game to play, and an application practice section.  Check it out and use it with any elementary students who use the Internet!

UPDATE!

I just found out that Brain Pop Jr. offeres a free video on Internet Safety.  Annie and Moby also do a great job of explaining how to be safe on the Internet.

Internet Safety with NS Teens

Social interaction is changing!  Hopefully, this isn't news to you, but it has become a way of life for today's tweens and teens to have an online profile.  Be it Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or another social site, kids are posting pictures, making comments, playing games, and interacting online.  Sometimes, this can lead to inappropriate behavior, bullying, or other negative outcomes.


School curriculums are also in the process of changing to include instruction about internet safety so our kids know the effects of their online activities.  Whether it's protecting their identity, or knowing about cyberbullying, teens need us as educators to fill them in about safe practices while using the Internet.


So, I want to share with you a neat resource I found designed specifically for teens and tweens.  NS Teens (NS standing for Net Smartz) is an online collection of quick videos meant to educate students about different topics of internet safety.  The characters are animated teenage students, interfaced with interviews from real life teenagers.  I highly recommend the one about cyberbullying because it seems like harrassing text messages, comments and emails has become a big problem as of late....which you find out in the video can lead to police involvement, just like regular harassment.


So, please take the time to jump on teachable moments about internet safety.  Hopefully, this site can help!




NOTE: Also, go to NetSmartz.org to find resources for elementary kids, educators, parents, and law enforcement officers.

National Geographic Provides Beautiful Pictures, Video, and More

National Geographic has a fantastic site where you can access pictures, videos, games and more.  There is so much to do on the site, I could literally go on forever.  But, here are some of my favorite features:


Daily News:

Stay on top of what's going on in our world with stories detailing new discoveries, fantastic locations, and much more.

Photo of the Day:

Browse through amazing pictures of animals, people and places.  See a new one every day and browse through past pictures and favorite picks.


Create puzzles from pictures:

Choose from a wide variety of pictures to make into jigsaw puzzles. This works great on an interactive white board!


Videos:

Watch videos on current events, animals, or world cultures. (I am SO jealous of the guy in this video!!)





NOTE: I was lead to this site by using Thinkfinity! (The site I highlighted yesterday!)

Thinkfinity Has THOUSANDS of FREE Resources!

Thinkfinity is a site hosted by Verizon that is a portal for teachers to find free interactive resources and lesson plans.  It is easy to get overwhelmed by Thinkfinity and all that it has to offer, but just use the search tool to find lessons and interactives based on any one of; grade level, standards, resource type, subject, or site sponsor/partner.

Some examples of interactives I have found include poetry writing, the history of blues music, fractions illustrated, practicing area of different shapes, and many many more.  The site also has a highlights feature on the home page that focuses on certain topics each month.

I strongly encourage you to explore Thinkfinity to see what resources you can use in your classroom!

Grabba Beast, hilarious avatars or writing prompts

Another great site for building avatars is Grabba Beast.  Here, students can design a wacky beast that can be colored however they want.  I have also seen suggestions for this site to be used as a writing prompt, in that students can give their beast a story, or practice descriptive writing by going into details about the textures, behaviors, or smells of the beast they created.  Have fun!

Meet Sven, the kung-fu viking monster:

Manga Avatars

Another cool avatar site is Face Your Manga.  Manga is the term used to describe the drawing technique you see in a majority if Japanese animated series.  Using Face Your Manga, students can create a manga version of themselves to look like a character in their favorite TV show.

NOTE: This site definitely requires supervision.  I am very disappointed to say that despite the educational uses of this site, there is inappropriate content on it.  When designing your avatar, in the Stuff then Gadgets category, there is an option to illustrate your avatar displaying an inappropriate hand signal or holding a lit cigarette.  Also, in the Clothing category, there are some quite revealing clothing items. 

It is disappointing that this content is on the site because I imagine students thinking that this avatar site is more interesting than others.  But, with proper supervision, I think it would still be possible to use.  Either way, at least you all know about it now!

Here's mine:

SMART is hosting a contest!

 Want this?  --->

Win by submitting a SMART Notebook Lesson!  Submit by May 31st!

Go here for details!

I know there are teachers who check this blog that definitely have a great chance to win!  All you have to do is submit a lesson that was created in SMART Notebook.   

The lesson activity must be:

• at least 5 pages in length
• Original
• Creative
• Visually appealing
• Easy for teachers
  to use and adapt
• Interactive

How sweet it is! M&M students!

Well, I thought that it may as well be avatar week.  There are so many neat avatar building sites out there, I might as well share some of my favorites with you.  Today's site can be used to transform your students into M&M versions of themselves.  Visit Become an M to....become an M&M!  Just create an account and start making your candy self!

Here's mine:

Mini-mize your students!

Making avatars has become an important part of using the internet.  Avatars are a safe way to show a likeness (or not-so-"like"ness) of yourself without showing your true identity.  They are also really fun to make and can even be used in the classroom!

Mini-Mizer is a neat site where students can create a Lego version of themselves. You can have your students create a Lego avatar and then save it in a screen shot .  You can use the avatars in your SMART Notebook files, PowerPoints, or in your blogs and wiki's.  Here's mine!

Just a note....one of the props available (for whatever reason, who knows??) is a lit cigarette.  I just want to give a heads up because you may want to preface using this site with a mini-lesson on what is and is not appropriate for school, and maybe even how smoking is bad....even for Legos! Shame on them!  Despite this, the site is great for students! Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo! Learn more about Hispanic Culture!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Vivo Mèxico! What a great day to take an opportunity to learn about Mexican heritage and culture!  I have compiled a few resources for you to explore on this dìa de celebraciòn!

Scholastic provides a nice learning experience, Celebrate Hispanic Heritage, where students can explore Hispanic history in the Americas, learn about famous Latinos, practice some Spanish vocabulary, and more.

Why not send some virtual greeting cards for Cinco de Mayo?  123Greetings has a special section of free and fun virtual greeting cards that students can send through email.

Finally, if your district has a subscription to BrainPop, check out the Latin Music video.  Learn about different types of music various artists, & origins.  Also BrainPop Jr. offers a free video (no log in required) about Mexico.  Annie and Moby discuss geography, history, culture, and the reason we celebrate cinco de mayo.

Note: If you are unsure if your district has BrainPop and you are in the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES district, email me and I can help you log in or find out about purchasing!

Get Your 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders Into Engineering!

Today's post is a really cool science interactive site that I found out about through the blog SMART Board Goodies by Amber Coggin.  (Thank you, Amber, for all your wonderful posts!)

Engineering Interact is a website for 9-11 year olds that has several playable scenarios for students to learn about the different aspects of engineering.  Each concept comes with a different story for the student to play through.  Students play as investigators hired to work through the clues of various mysteries, ranging from underwater drama to outer space foul play!

Just a note....the site was designed and is hosted in the UK, so some terms may be changed to an unfamiliar name, such as "flashlight" = "torch".  But, this may end up being an interesting "teachable moment" for your class!