Don't Deny It Any Longer, Let's Talk About Copyright

We've all seen it.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/3020966666/ 

The logo above usually means you're in for a jumble of lawyer-ese and threatened fines that limit our use of many forms of content.  It can be difficult as a classroom teacher to stay within the confines of copyright law, especially when all you want to do is show the world to your students.

So I've been gathering a collection of the best resources for understanding copyright, which you can find below:

From MakeUseOf:

Royalty free images: These images are not free. You have to purchase these images for a fee, but beyond that you can continue to use the image as long as you want. But this is a non-exclusive right as others may also purchase the same image for use.

Public Domain images: Images which are not covered by any copyright and are available free of charge are called public domain images. Images whose copyright have expired also fall under the public domain. To put it this way, any image which is freely available may not be a public domain image; but a public domain image is freely available for use without permission.

Creative Commons: Creative Commons images (or the licenses) should not be confused with public domain and free-to-use images. Creative Commons is a set of free licenses which cover fair use and allow creators to reserve some rights for themselves while freeing up the work for the benefit of the public. Learn more about Creative Commons on the CC website.

Copyright Confusion Wiki - Which will also link you to the Fair Use Reasoning Tool!

Photo, music, and sound effects sites to use for copyright-friendly material.

Links to create-your-own content sites such as Aviary, Wordle, ToonDoo, and more.

Let's also not forget about http://creativecommons.org which can be another information resource about using copyright correctly.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's The Vexed Man (1770s or early 1780s). Photo by Jean-François Chénier on Flickr

Even though copyright can be somewhat overwhelming and difficult to understand, I would say that it's most important for you to be consciously aware of it and a constant learner of how to best abide by its terms.  I also think it's extremely important to pass this same attitude on to our students since the digital world we live in makes it so easy to come by copyright-protected digital content, and remaining fair to the creators of that content should be a top priority.

Wondermind: Your Brain Explained

Wondermind is a wonder-site that was established to investigate the relationship between art and science and how everything that has to do with art or science comes together in that big thinker on your shoulders: Your Brain!

Visitors to the site have the chance to explore the workings of the brain and how it develops as we grow, all in the frame set of Alice in Wonderland.   The entire site is an interactive journey where you can answer questions, play games, and watch videos to learn about the functions of the human brain.  Best of all, it relates complex scientific processes and terms back to the well-known story of Alice in Wonderland, making it all easier to understand.

Wondermind is truly wonderful!

Interact with the Human Body!

Welcome back!  It's time again to start another school year, and I'm sure you are all running around like mad getting everything ready for a perfect start.  With all that running and preparing, you may be wondering if your brain may be about to explode, or your heart may thump out of your chest, or your adrenal glands are working non-stop!  Well, maybe the site I am sharing for today may help you find out a little more about each of these as well as the rest of the human body!  Check out BioDigital Human!

From the site itself, 

"BioDigital Human is a virtual 3D body that brings to life thousands of medically accurate anatomy objects and health conditions in an interactive Web-based platform."

The 3D display is wonderfully interactive!  You can build each system on the skeleton, adding or removing to show just what you need.  Within each system, you can add or remove parts and learn about each organ.  Clicking on an organ will zoom in and display specific information about that part.  And I feel like I should also let you know that this anatomical viewer is 100% anatomically correct...if you get my meaning....just make sure you don't put yourself in an awkward position if you allow students to use this site.

Have a wonderful school year! 

And don't forget that I love your comments and feedback!  Just as a side note, I would ask that if you leave a comment and you share a link in your comment, please type the whole URL, rather than putting text in place of the link.  For example, instead of putting My Blog please put http://thepenguinsslide.blogspot.com instead.  Thank you!

Test Your Google Searching Skills With Gwigle!

UPDATE:  I'm very sad to say that as of today (well, really I've been trying for a week now...), Gwigle seems to be down.  As in, gone from the Internet.  I'm hoping that it may pop up again, so I am leaving this post in the hopes that it could possibly redirect you to a new Gwigle, if one ever emerges.  But for now, our Gwigling days are over. :(

Use Gwigle, the fun online game to improve your Google searching skills!  With each level you progress through, you will learn the ins and outs of doing a proper search --No, it's not always just putting in a word and hitting go!--

Gwigle will teach you about using notation that will help you filter or expand your searches, making them much more effective. The game will show you a Google search screen, with certain key search terms replaced by question marks.  It's up to you to figure out what replaces the ?????

Having trouble answering a question to move on to the next level?  Click on the link to "Show Tips" to read about what search strategy is being displayed. Or, if you still can't get it, I tried Googling some of the results that show, using some of my newly-learned searching skills of course!

Try it out to become a Googling expert today!

Primary fun with ABC Mouse!

I was looking through my posts the other day and I realized that I really don't have that many resources for Pre-K and K teachers!  Luckily, I had this little gem of a website on standby!

ABC Mouse is a great resource that is FREE for public school teachers! (Click here to sign up for the free public school account) Using this site you can set up a single teacher account with the option of setting up accounts for each of your students.  For each account you set up, you can choose the level at which that student functions.  Choosing the level sets it up so that the students is only able to choose activities that apply to their level.  The student will eventually level up as he/she makes progress on their current level by completing the outlined activities.

There are over 2,000 activities for your students to complete, either by exploring the general classroom, or by following the outlined lesson activities to progress to the next level.  Available activities have a strong focus on reading, but also include math, music, art, and beginning social/science.  As each activity is completed, students are rewarded with tickets that they can save up to buy things for their avatar or classroom.

 

Documentary Heaven

As you may know from previous posts, I am a big fan of documentaries.  I think these types of films are wonderful for education because of how they focus on a certain topic to convey facts and/or opinions.  They can be wonderful debate starters, eye-openers, etc.

Documentary Heaven is a portal for finding documentaries that have been posted online.  Use this site to search through subjects, or by keyword to find a film that fits your lesson.  There are over 2100 videos to search!  I found a neat science video about important astronomical discoveries, hosted by Bill Nye.  Click here to watch it!

None of the videos are hosted by the site, meaning that they may be Vimeo, YouTube, or some other video site, but they are all collected here for easy searching and viewing.  However, this does mean that if your district blocks YouTube, you will not be able to watch some of the videos.

I also want to caution you that there may be some inappropriate or controversial videos featured on the site, so make sure you check it over carefully before displaying anything to your students.

Visualize Math On Your IWB With Thinking Blocks

I recently attended a mini workshop on implementing the Common Core in Math. A large portion of the strategies that I learned used manipulatives as modeling and learning tools. This reminded me of a post I read a few months ago on Teachers Love SMART Boards.  In the post, Jim outlines a neat math resource called Thinking Blocks.

Thinking Blocks is a site that offers you virtual manipulatives that you can project, and interact with on your Interactive White Board.  There are specific sections for Addition, Subtraction, Fractions, and Ratios.  Each section allows you to choose examples of varying difficulty as well as watch a video to go along with each example.

Once you are ready to begin solving your own, the program walks you through the steps of the equation, prompting you to place the thinking blocks where they go.  Students can track their progress as well.

If you would like to make your own word problems to solve, there is also a modeling tool section where you are free to type in your own problem and make your own thinking blocks to go with it!

Have fun modeling!