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: