Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
Table of Contents:
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Ann Huber
Internet Sources: As far as we know these sites are safe. We have visited them with no adverse
problems. Some may send you to Facebook and give a warning but this is because they are redirecting
to a different site and there is no danger. I have tried to remove the Facebook part of the link so you
can visit most of these at school. I may have missed a few and some are blogs that are blocked at some
schools. If you can’t get to the site because it is Facebook, do a SEARCH for the title and most of the
time you can get to it at school.
Ann Huber
Sound: http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/ has resources for prevention of hearing loss. I especially
liked the games portion of the
website: http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/virtualexhibit/1whatsthatsound.html
I used the hearing loss simulator at this site to reinforce my "sound"
lesson: http://holmessafety.org/hlsim
Magnets: http://my.execpc.com/~rhoadley/magindex.htm
Sherry Herron
Mr. Parr's Cool Science Songs are set to recent hit songs but with the nerdiest lyrics. He made them
for his 6th grade classes but they could be used at a ton of different levels. Lots of great topics in physical
science, weather, catastrophic events, life science, light and color, astronomy, and earth science. Some of my
favorites below.
Mr. Parr's Cool Science Songs: http://www.youtube.com/parrmr
Conservation of Energy
Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k60jGJfV8oU&list=PL538B87C890F6F3A1&index=15
The Heating Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYnP4TGOGRY&list=PL538B87C890F6F3A1
Power and Work Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-a9asXZ_gE
Radioactivity Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjZe6xSTWhM&list=PLA686464F296A15D6
Renewed Energy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjZe6xSTWhM&list=PLA686464F296A15D6
Energy Roles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf3inHpNXlM&list=ECDB484413202B3E2A
Another great recent find is Vsauce: http://www.youtube.com/vsauce
There aren't any that I have found yet that are energy related but there is a ton of science in each. One of my
favorites is What Color is a Mirror? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yrZpTHBEss
Also a big fan of minute physics: http://www.youtube.com/minutephysics
Check out minute earth as well: http://www.youtube.com/minuteearth
http://www.youtube.com/user/ParrMr
Mr. Parr's Science Songs. If you are looking for the lyrics for my songs, mp3's and videos,
click on...
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
Susan Bender
Page 2 of 27
New Texas Instruments app for iPad.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ti-nspire/id590823242?mt=8
Buck Cooper
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-wong/teen-scientists_b_3014161.html?
How I Fell In Love With Science
www.huffingtonpost.com
Within the classroom, it can be easy to get trapped in the details. Indeed, it is just
these pieces ...
Teaching kids to program in Scratch this week and next. If anybody asks me whether or not that's
science, I'll take them
here: http://stem.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?event=showBlogPost&c=35&postid=474
Siemens STEM Academy - Computer Programming for All Students
http://stem.discoveryeducation.com
The nation's first online community designed exclusively to foster achievement in
science, technolog...
They're ubiquitous. why not use them in the classroom? http://nyti.ms/14hVvoA
In Some Schools, Students Bring Their Own Technology
www.nytimes.com
In a growing trend, school districts pressed for money are allowing students to bring
their phones, ...
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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Kristy Cline
Anybody looking for a genetics MCT review... if you teach middle school, then check out the
genetics of Spongebob... Part 1 & Part 2
http://sciencespot.net/Media/gen_spbobgenetics.pdf
Robert Maynard
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/15/rapid-hiv-treatment-points-to-functional-cure-foraids/?intcmp=HPBucket
Rapid HIV treatment points to 'functional cure' for AIDS
www.foxnews.com
Treating people with HIV rapidly after they have become infected with the virus that
causes AIDS may...
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/15/device-keeps-liver-alive-outside-body-in-medicalfirst/?intcmp=HPBucket
Device keeps liver 'alive' outside body in medical first
www.foxnews.com
A donated human liver has been kept alive, warm and functioning outside a human
being on a newly-dev...
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/01/21/doubling-down-four-stranded-quadruple-helix-dnadiscovered/?intcmp=features
Doubling down: four-stranded, 'quadruple helix' DNA discovered
www.foxnews.com
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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60 years after scientists first described the “double helix” shape of DNA, scientists have
found the...
Lauren Jonas
The Next Generation Science Standards have been released! NSTA has pulled together a great page with
everything you need to get started. Please let us know if you have questions and what you need help with.
http://www.nsta.org/about/standardsupdate/
NSTA :: Next Generation Science Standards
www.nsta.org
NSTA welcomes new science education standards that provide a cohesive approach to K–12
science instr...
Brandi Duncan-Herrington
I've been taking some notes with my Evernote app at the NSTA Convention here in San Antonio.
Here are the links to my Notebooks. I'll keep adding throughout the conference, so the notebooks will
automatically update when added to. Enjoy.
Physical Science Notebook:
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/physicalscience
Chemistry Notebook:
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/chemistry
Earth Science Notebook:
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/earthscience
Classroom Notebook:
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/classroom
Technology Notebook:
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/technology
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/physicalscience
www.evernote.com
https://www.evernote.com/pub/bdjh99/physicalscience
Aim a Hurricane - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/games/movncane.htm
Hurricane Sandy Tracker - http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker/2012/sandy
Hurricane 101 - http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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Hurricane Lab http://content3.jason.org/resource_content/content/digitallab/1355/misc_content/Hurricane.html
Saffir-Simpson Scale: Destruction and Intensity Animation http://www.npr.org/news/specials/hurricane/ap/
I'm super excited about finding this activity to teach about atoms and isotopes. This is
perfect since Easter is coming up, and we can all stock up on leftover bags of plastic
Easter eggs.
Adventures with the Lower Level: Mass Numbers for Dummies*
http://adventureswiththelowerlevel.blogspot.com/2011/02/mass-numbers-fordummies.html
http://adventureswiththelowerlevel.blogspot.com
I like this a lot. One of the principal challenges in chemistry seems to be helping kids to
develop ...
Classroom Management Tool Using Your Computer
http://www.newmanagement.com/music/alarmclock.html
Classroom Alarm Clock
www.newmanagement.com
At seminars I've been sharing with secondary teachers the idea of using a short song as
a cue to ind...
24 Free Chemistry Apps for iPad
http://elearningindustry.com/24-free-chemistry-ipad-apps-for-students
24 Free Chemistry iPad Apps for Students
http://elearningindustry.com
Would you like to learn how to count protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom? Are
you looking fo...
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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Homemade pet jelly via Jackie Matthews on 3/5/13
Homemade pet jelly fish that's about the neatest thing EVER.
We did our first QR Code scavenger hunt with cell phones today. I used Betsy Sullivan's idea I saw in
her session at MSTA. Instead of taking notes from a PowerPoint, they watched videos and went to
sites to find out information for their notes. I put up 5 different stations, and students rotated around
the room to gather their information. The students took ownership of it, and even some of the students
who I fight tooth and nail to get them to participate were into it. Thanks Betsy!!
Tomorrow they'll be working in center rotations to apply their new knowledge.
here is the Google Doc of my cell phone scavenger hunt for Earth's tilt. You can download it as a
Word Document and make changes to it if you'd like.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a18K-yTmoZp0lYXbd-dtLFBcEKYxPJjJ00E2VLIyC0/edit?usp=sharing
http://www.upworthy.com/see-the-scientific-accident-that-may-change-the-world-or-at-least-yourbattery-l?g=2
See The Scientific Accident That May Change The World (Or At Least Your Battery
Life)
www.upworthy.com
Things that matter. Pass 'em on.
LiveBinders iPads in School
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/26195
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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iPads in Schools - LiveBinder
www.livebinders.com
Resources for using iPads in schools.
I attended a professional development opportunity on Engagement and Behavior Strategies in
the Classroom. I typed up all the links for you if you're interested. The link to the Google Doc is
below. Let me know if a link doesn't work and I'll fix it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y6LVNR1WjuO4cK6KlR1Xt6mYrb_3jvyZr1MXXsew2Cs/edit?
usp=sharing
The Human Genome Project - Lots of Interactives, Videos, Etc.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.gen.lp_hgpwhat/
Teachers' Domain: The Human Genome Project
www.teachersdomain.org Students learn about the Human Genome Project: the process, the functions
of sections of DNA code, h...
DNA Extraction Virtual Lab
DNA is extracted from human cells for a variety of reasons. With a pure sample of DNA you can test a
newborn for a genetic disease, analyze forensic evidence, or study a gene involved in cancer. Try this
virtual laboratory to perform a cheek swab and extract DNA from human cells.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/extraction/#
Aleta Sullivan
Inside the Brain: Unraveling the Mystery of Alzheimer's Disease [HQ]
www.youtube.com
This 4-minute captioned video shows the intricate mechanisms involved in the
progression of Alzheime...
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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Find Out Why Leaves Change Color
www.education.com
With this hands-on activity, you'll show how fall colors are hidden in the leaf all
year long!
Interactive Notebook
http://mattbgomez.com
A couple of weeks ago we had a great training session about interactive
notebooks. I am still workin...
Insects and the Interactive Notebook
http://mattbgomez.com/insects-and-the-interactive-noteboo/
http://mattbgomez.com
Here is another example of how I am using the interactive notebook (read more
about it here). I am r...
We Are Teachers
www.weareteachers.com
Win up to $7,500 in prizes for sharing how you use chemicals in the classroom
Home | the Shape of Life
http://shapeoflife.org
Download or stream these short videos to help students learn about this dramatic
rise of the animal ...
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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American Teens Doing Better In Science Than Public Realizes
www.huffingtonpost.com
WASHINGTON -- American teenagers aren't doing as poorly on international
science tests as adults thi...
James Watson Explains DNA Basepairing
www.youtube.com
In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick solved the structure of DNA. This
beautiful molecule sparked...
Free Technology for Teachers: National Geographic and the Common Core
www.freetech4teachers.com
Human Brain Cells Make Mice Smart | Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com
Study shows that intelligence derives from brain cells other than neurons A team of
neurosc...
Kepler Discovers Smallest 'Habitable Zone' Planets - NASA Science
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/18apr_habitablezone/
http://science.nasa.gov
NASA's Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three
super-Earth-size p...
The Hangman's Tale: Archaeologists Dig into History of Execution - SPIEGEL
ONLINE
www.spiegel.de
For years, few were interested in unearthing what lay beneath old gallows and
scaffolds. But, in Ger...
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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Teacher Resource Videos
http://www.flinnsci.com/teacher-resources/teacher-resource-videos/
www.flinnsci.com
384 Free teacher training videos for chemistry teachers. Watch as 20 master teachers
perform hundred...
Finger Length Predicts Health and Behavior | DiscoverMagazine.com
Http://discovermagazine.com
Like science-backed palm reading, new studies use digit ratio to predict aggressive
behavior and ris...
Free Technology for Teachers: Slides and Outlines from my Presentations at TAIS
www.freetech4teachers.com
from Richard Byrne - This afternoon I stumbled upon a neat NASA resource that elementary school
and middle school students might like. This interactive display gives students the opportunity to learn
about six generations of the NASA space suits. Clicking on one of the space suits gives students a short
history of why that suit was developed, its unique parts, and how it functions. The introductory
animation to the display explains to students why astronauts need to wear space suits and what would
happen if they didn't wear a space suit.
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/nasa_spacesuit/
In the FDA Summer Professional Development Program, science, health, and family and consumer
science teachers have an opportunity to learn about inquiry-based lessons related to foodborne
illnesses to use with their students. These lessons can be found in the curriculum “Science and Our
Food Supply” developed jointly by NSTA and FDA. To prepare teachers to use these lessons, FDA
provides a free multidimensional professional development program in Washington, DC - July 14 – 20,
2013. Included in the program are all expenses including transportation, housing, and meals.
http://teachfoodscience.com/applynow.cfm
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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FDA-NSTA: APPLY NOW
Http://teachfoodscience.com
HHMI's BioInteractive - Click and Learn - Cells of the Immune System
www.hhmi.org
An overview of the immune system, concentrating on the roles played by B and T
lymphocytes, and the ...
Articulated Hand Model & Failed Muscle Model
http://www.toadhaven.com/Toadhaven/Blog/Entries/2012/3/8_Articulated_Hand_Mode
l_%26_Failed_Muscle_Model.html
www.toadhaven.com
A while back I pinned a fabulous DIY articulated hand model to my Pinterest board
made out of PVC an...
What is DNA?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwibgNGe4aY
www.youtube.com
http://www.StatedClearly.com/ - Issues of genetics and DNA are constantly cropping
up in the news fr...
For those who are interested, I typed up my notes into a Google doc (Thanks, Brandi Duncan
Herrington for the tip). This is a work in progress. I have been interested in interactive notebooks for
a while, but I just never had them fully explained. The ladies that led the workshop were well versed
and I hope I've done them justice. Here's the link:
Using interactive notebooks in science - Google Drive
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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(NOTE: I couldn’t change this address to remove the Facebook part of the address so you will have to
access it from home if Facebook is blocked at your school.)
Flu Attack! How A Virus Invades Your Body
www.youtube.com
When you get the flu, viruses turn your cells into tiny factories that
help spread the disease. In t...
Unraveling the Human Genome: 6 Molecular Milestones
http://oak.ctx.ly
As scientists reveal that "junk" DNA is crucial to the genome, we look back at the genetics mileston...
Deborah Duncan
For today's post I am sharing with you an excellent presentation featuring some of the
top educational iPad apps. I have gone through each title and found them really worth
sharing with you here. Have a look and share with us your comments . Enjoy
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/60-educational-ipad-apps-forteachers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+educato
rstechnology/pDkK+(Educational+Technology+and+Mobile+Learning)
It's no secret that the iPad has become a big hit with educators, due in part to its ease of use and
the more than 20,000 educational apps available in the App Store to meet a wide range of learner
needs. But are you and your students really getting the most out of its use? At FETC 2013,
Jennifer Hart and I presented a session where we shared a number of advanced tips to make
finding, sorting, consuming, and creating content on the iPad easier and more efficient.
Since I work in the field of special education, many of these tips mention the built-in accessibility
features of the iPad. The iPad is an excellent tool for implementing the concept of universal design
for learning (UDL) in the classroom because it allows students who have special needs to use the
same device as their peers, but with a number of built-in supports that allow these students to
more easily access and create content. The tips I mention here assume you are running iOS 6, the
latest version of the iPad’s software at the time of writing.
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/04/23/12-Advanced-iPad-Tips-All-Educators-ShouldLearn.aspx?Page=1
Google Drive has updated and now has some interesting editing features for the iPad.
http://edudemic.com/2013/01/create-digital-portfolios/
How To Use Google Drive and Evernote To Create Digital Portfolios
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
Http://edudemic.com
Page 13 of 27
As iPads proliferate in schools around the world, and students as well as teachers create more and
more content, questions about what to do with all of those learning objects have arisen. In other
words, how can we curate this content into portfolios for assessment as well as reflection.
Plate Tectonics Cookie Lab:
How about flipping your classroom using iPad apps? There are now several apps out
there to help you create tutorials and video guides to help your students learn while
they are not in class. Be it you want to totally flip your classroom teaching or simply to
provide extra help to students, the apps below will definitely help you make a
difference in your students learning. But before you explore the list I curated below
you need to check this video to learn about the importance of a flipped classroom.
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/8-outstanding-ipad-apps-tocreate.html
8 Outstanding iPad Apps to Create Tutorials and Flip your Classroom ~ Educational Technology and Mob
www.educatorstechnology.com
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
How about flipping your classroom using iPad apps ?
Page 14 of 27
What is SlideShark?
SlideShark is the award-winning, free mobile app that enables businesses and
individuals to show PowerPoint® presentations from the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
the way they were meant to be seen—accurately and professionally every time—with
animations, fonts, graphics, hyperlinks and videos intact.
https://www.slideshark.com/default.aspx
http://www.slideshark.com%2Fdefault.aspx&h=hAQGx-wWR&s=1
SlideShark | PowerPoint Presentations on the iPad or iPhone
www.slideshark.com
SlideShark is the one and only app used to reliably view and share PowerPoint on the
iPad or iPhone. Get it for free now.
Chemistry Now
Chemistry Now is an NBC Learn Special Collection that reveals how chemistry contributes to
everyday life, with lesson plans from the National Science Teachers Association. New content
released weekly in 2011, January - May and September - December. If you are having trouble
viewing the videos, click here.
http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn/chemistry-now
Here is a PDF file that has 100 iPad Tricks and Tips:
http://www.jordan.pausd.org/ipad/100%20iPad%20Tips%20and%20Tricks.pdf
I just "attended" a excellent Webinar sponsored by the American Chemical
Societyon Understanding and Communicating the Science of Climate Change: A Chemist's
Responsibility by the speaker Dr. Bassam Z. Shakhashiri of UWisconsin-Madison, the 2012
President of the ACS.
It was pointed out that there are free resources on the subject here: www.acs.org/climatescience
These may be of use to NSTA members who discuss the topic.
Bob Drake
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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101 Websites for Science Teachers
Posted by Erik Schreefel in Educational Technology, Web 2.0
Tools on Jul 25, 2012. 17 Comments
Boldly go where no science teacher has gone before!
Your continuing mission: to discover useful new sites, to integrate
them into your lesson plans and to giggle at this corny Star Trek
reference.
Silliness aside, my love for science grew from watching the crew of
the starship Enterprise warp around the galaxy as they
encountered previously unknown phenomena, worlds and
civilizations.
I thought the notion of discovery was really fitting for this post—so, with that said, I hope you come
across something that excites your students about science.
Now, set a course for the end of this list—warp factor 9. Engage!
http://www.goedonline.com/101-websites-for-science-teachers
Dear Educator,
Late last year you signed up for Problem-Attic, an online question bank that helps you create tests,
quizzes and other classroom materials for grades 3–12. We see that you haven't used our free
service in a while, so we'd like to tell you know about all the improvements we've made since you
last visited the website.
Here's a quick update:
 Problem-Attic
now has 80,000 questions for Math, Science, Social Studies and English
Language Arts.
 Questions come from trusted sources, including state assessments, NAEP/TIMSS tests,
New York Regents Exams and math competitions.
 Math questions are organized around NCTM and Common Core strands.
 We recently added questions from California and Maryland, bringing our total to 17 states!
We invite you to come back and visit Problem-Attic again. We are confident that you'll find it to be
an excellent teacher resource.
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
The Problem-Attic Team at EducAide Software
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/02/cool-printing-tools-for-teachers.html
Cool Printing Tools for Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
www.educatorstechnology.com
Today while I was printing some journal articles, it dawned on me to share with my readers my
favorite printing tools that I use almost every day. Probably some
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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A Short Guide to Using Google Drive on Your iPad
Cross-posted from iPad Apps for School.
For a devoted Google Drive user like myself having Google Drive on my iPad
is a must. Last week I had some questions from readers about how to use
Google Drive on their iPads. This weekend I put together a short guide to
using Google Drive on your iPad. The guide is embedded below. I am using
Scribd to host the document and you can download the guide from Scribd.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/02/a-short-guide-to-using-google-driveon.html#.URhrVqVEGSp
How science works: The flowchart
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/scienceflowchart
This flowchart represents the process of scientific inquiry, through which we build
reliable knowledge of the natural world. You can use it to trace the development of
different scientific ideas and/or the research efforts of individual scientists. Most ideas
take a circuitous path through the process, shaped by unique people and events.
Move your mouse pointer over the flowchart to reveal an additional level of detail.
Click on items in the flowchart to get further information in Understanding Science
101.
If you can't see or operate the above interactive item, you can try to get the Flash
playeror view a static version of the interactive content.
What is Web 2.0? Learn it in 5 minutes or less
At the award-winning Learn it in 5, you'll learn what is Web 2.0, and strategies for using Web
2.0 technology in the digital classroom - all in 5 minutes or less.
Learn it in 5 is a powerful library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the
purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today's 21st century's
digital classroom. These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology,
demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive
videos, wikis, slide sharing and much more.
Brainy Betty
You can find hundreds of free PowerPoint templates and backgrounds here at Brainy Betty, but
we have so much more: we have animations, music for presentations, royalty free photos, tutorials,
flash and video introductions, teacher resources and backgrounds for presentations to name just a
few.
http://www.brainybetty.com/
Below is a list of apps I have curated for you. This selection is not exhaustive and no matter how
many apps I include here there will always be some lacking. That being said, the list below
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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contains some of the basic apps you as a teacher and educator need to be using .
Check out the list below and let me know what you think of it. Enjoy
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/25-tech-tips-every-teacher-shouldknow.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+educat
orstechnology%2FpDkK+%28Educational+Technology+and+Mobile+Learning%29
25 Tech Tips Every Teacher Needs to
know Everybody is talking about technology
integration in education and there is probably no
PD session that you would attend without the word
technology being mentioned at least three times.
But for you as practitioner and teacher, have you
ever questioned what it really takes to properly leverage the power of technology into your
classroom ? Do you want to know how other teachers are doing it? We have a short guide to help
you in this endeavor.
Below is a slideshow that has over 25 tech tips for teachers. This slideshow has been
making rounds online and I really like the collaborative concept behind the compilation of ideas
included in it. Mark Clarkson did a great job in bringing this work to life. As you can see from the
title , you do not necessarily need a prior sophisticated technology knowledge to
start implementing what it has to offer you, just go ahead and try out the tools you come across ,
read their FAQs and see how you can use them for your own learning and teaching needs.
Experimentation is the best teacher. Enjoy
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/25-tech-tips-every-teacher-shouldknow.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+educatorste
chnology%2FpDkK+%28Educational+Technology+and+Mobile+Learning%29
StudyBlue Adds an iPad app
Last fall StudyBlue introduced a free app for creating and studying flashcards on iPhones and
Android phones. Today, they've released an updated iPad app. The free StudyBlue iPad app is
optimized for tablet display.
The StudyBlue iPad app can be used to create flashcards in three ways. You can enter text, take a
picture, or speak into the app. The app can be used by students to review their flashcards in a quiz
style or by just flipping through their flashcards. And students can use the app to search for public
sets of flashcards in the StudyBlue gallery.
Using the Internet to Improve Instruction:
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Applications for Education
In a world languages class the free StudyBlue iPad app could be used by students to take pictures of
objects and attach the correct spelling to the image.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/08/studyblue-adds-ipad-app.html#.UQVNx79EGSo
Inkflow – A Great iPad App for Visual Thinkers
Share on linkedinShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailMore Sharing Services
Inkflow is the perfect app for people like me who like to sketch out their
ideas before sharing them in presentations, in writing, or in video productions. Inkflow is also great
for people who like to take notes in a free-hand format in which they can easily include little
sketches and diagrams along with their written words.
Inkflow is an iPad app that can be used to sketch mind maps, draw pictures, write free hand, and
just about anything else you might do with a pencil and paper. All of the pages that you sketch on
and write on can be organized into little books that include page-turning effects.
Three Good Ways to Use Socrative In Your Classroom
The last part of the short presentation about backchannels and
informal assessment that I gave at the Texas Library Association's
conference was spent on Socrative. Just as I did for Padlet and
TodaysMeet, I shared three ways that Socrative can be used in
school. Those ways are outlined below.
Use Socrative to gather anonymous questions and answers:
The single response activities in Socrative allow students to reply to your prompt or question
without entering their names. In a single response activity you verbally pose a question or prompt
to your students and they respond with a word, sentence, or multiple choice selection. The
anonymous reply format is useful for surveying students when you’re asking them to submit
responses to questions or prompts that they might be reluctant to share in an open format.
Use Socrative to administer short quizzes:
The quiz-based activities in Socrative allow you to give your students short quizzes that include
multiple choice, true/ false, and short answer responses. Thenew option to include pictures in your
questions allows you ask questions about diagrams, charts, and any other item that you have an
image of. You can set the quiz to give students immediate feedback on the multiple choice and
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true/ false questions. You can see the results of the quizzes in real-time and download a report of
all students’ answers when all of your students have completed the quiz.
Use Socrative to host a “space race” in your classroom:
A fun way to use Socrative is to host a team "space race." A space race is a competitive format for
quizzes. Space race can be played as a team or individual activity. Each correct answer moves a
rocket ship across the screen. The first person or team to get their rocket across the screen wins.
Your space race questions can be pulled from a quiz that you have stored in your Socrative account.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
23 EXCELLENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOOLS FOR TEACHERS
Talking about professional development brings to my mind memories of those days when nothing
called internet ever talking about professional development brings to my mind memories of those
days when nothing called internet ever existed. I still remember how hard it was to dig for
resources and learning materials but yet we learned. I think determination, personal investment,
and motivation are key elements in any "recipe" for success, secondary to this comes the
availability and accessibility to information . There is no era in the entire human history that has
witnessed as a huge influx of human knowledge being collected and accessible from a single place
as it is now. All it takes is a single click and there you are roaming inside a limitless repository of
human knowledge. Has this easy accessibility to information changed the learning equation or has
it contributed to producing lazy, dependent learners ? I will let you think about the answer for this
question and i might revisit this topic in more details in a future post.
Today I am sharing with you some web tools to help you grow professionally.
These are probably the best you can ever find online and I might
have inadvertently missed some names but I would love you to remind me if I
did. Check out the list below and share with us your suggestions, and additions
if you have some. This is a work in progress. Enjoy
1- Education World
This is a great website that offers all the resources you need to grow professionally. It has
different sections with each one full of PDFs, books, articles an many more
2- Classroom2.0
In this networking group, you can get connected with other educators who are interested in Web
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2.0, social media, and more in the classroom.
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3- Diigo
Collect, highlight, remember, and share all of the great resources you find online with your PLN on
Diigo, and annotation and online bookmarking tool.
4- Discovery Education
There is no way that you did not hear about this awesome website. Discovery Education provides
high quality, dynamic, digital content to everyone be it a teacher, an administrator, student or
even parents.
5- Google Rss
With Google Reader or any other great RSS tool, you can subscribe to blogs and stay on top of it
all.
6- Twitter
Perfect for finding people to add to your PLN, participating in chats, and sharing what you’ve
found, Twitter is one of your most powerful tools for growing and maintaining a personal network.
7- Staff Develop
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This is another great resource for professional development. It provides articles, books,
workshops, and many resources links.
8- Yahoo! Answers
Find and share information, connect with others, and build upon your personal learning network
on this popular answers site.
9- Ed Week
Ed Week is a also one of the leading websites in education. It helps teachers and educators grow
professionally by providing all kinds of resources for free.
10- LinkedIn
The gold standard in professional networking, LinkedIn is a great place for education
professionals to get connected.
11- Educators Professional Development
The title says it all. EPD is the largest online database of professional development conferences
and workshops for educators and teachers from Early Learning to Grade 12.
12- Pinterest
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Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ get a lot of love from personal learning networks, but Pinterest
offers a great way to find other educators, and great resources.
13- Delicious
One of the most popular social bookmarking sites on the web, Delicious makes it easy to share
what you’ve found and find new followers for your PLN.
14- Read Write Think
This is one of my favorites too. It has a separate section dedicated to professional development
resources. Check it out, it is really great.
15-Teacher Vision
Teacher Vision provides a wide range of professional development resources for educators such as
articles, lesson plans, links and many more.
16- Paper.li
Using Paper.li, you can curate and share your favorite articles and blog posts.
17- Scoop.it
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Like Paper.li, Scoop.it is a great tool for curating an engaging PLN magazine based on resources
from your network.
18- Teachers Domain
This is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners.
You will find thousands of media resources, support materials, and tools for classroom lessons,
and teacher professional learning communities.
19- Getting Smart
Getting Smart offers several resources for professional development. It has links, innovative ideas,
books, articles and many more.
20- Common Sense Media
CSM is dedicated to improving the lives of students and educators by providing some great
resources, information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media
and technology.
21- Teacher Trap
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Teacher Trap is a free , professional development resource that helps educators and librarians
address common questions about the use of technology in teaching and learning by providing easy
access to practical, online resources and activities.
22- Teachers Network
Teachers Network provides great resources on professional development such as lesson plans,
how-to-articles, free videos and many more.
23- Intel Teach Elements
This is a free professional development platform from Intel that provides a series of compelling
courses on the 21st century learning concept
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/23-excellent-professional-development.html
Top Ten Websites of 2012
by Jacqui Murray
Every week, I post a website that my classes found useful, instructive, helpful in integrating
technology into classroom lesson plans. Some, you agreed with me about; others not so much.
Here, I’ll share with you which sites readers thought were the most helpful in their efforts to weave
tech into the classroom experience. Between these ten, they had over 120,000 visitors during the
year. See if you agree:
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1. Great Kids Websites–this is a list of hundreds, organized by grade and topic. It’s no
surprise it came in at #1
2. 20 Great Research Websites for Kids–I suggest you post these sites where students can
easily access them. I have them on the internet start page that’s the first site students see
when they open the internet. This was #5 last year and inched its way up to #2 this year.
3. 18 Online Keyboard Sites for Kids–Overall, keyboarding websites are the most popular
posts I have. In my school, it’s the #1 request from the classroom teachers–that students
type faster. There were four more subsets of this theme in the top ten, but those sites are
included here, so I skipped them for the purposes of this post.
4. 62 Kindergarten Websites That Tie into Classroom Lessons–a collection of my favorite
tech ed kindergarten sites
5. Four Online Sites to Teach Mouse Skills–this is geared for youngers. They’re fun and are
skills every student must master
6. 31 Human Body Websites for 2nd-5th Grade –Great list although I’ve added to it this year.
Stand by for an update in 2013
7. 41 Websites for Teachers to Integrate Tech into Your Classroom–a collection of the top
websites I’ve found to integrate tech into the elementary classroom
8. 23 Websites to Support Math Automaticity in K-5–these are math websites that focus on
speed and accuracy
9. 10 Great Virtual Field Trips–there are some great virtual field trips on this list. Link to it
from this list I keep updated
10. 62 First Grade Websites That Tie into Classroom Lessons–like the kindergarten list, these
are my favorites from first grade
http://askatechteacher.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/top-ten-websites-of-2012/
Simple Machines - Fun Game for Learning About Physics
Earlier this week I wrote about Code Fred from the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.
Code Fred is a fun game for learning about the human respiratory system. This afternoon I had a
bit of fun playing Simple Machines which is another game from the Museum of Science and
Industry, Chicago.
Simple Machines is a game that is designed to help students learn about the basic physics
principles involved in the use of levels, pulleys, planes, axles, and wheels. The object of the game is
to help a robot character named Twitch gather the pieces needed to make a simple machine. In
order to gather the pieces students have to help Twitch climb over objects using inclined planes,
roll to objects as efficiently as possible, and lift objects by using pulleys and levers.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/simple-machines-fun-game-forlearning.html#.UPcx_CdEGSo
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Look Inside Cells With iCell
iCell is a free app for iPad and Android that I've featured separately on my iPad and Android blogs,
but have neglected to share on Free Technology for Teachers until this evening. iCell, produced by
the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology, is an app that high school biology teachers and their
students should check out. The app provides students with 3D models of plant, animal, and
bacteria cells. Each cell model can be viewed in detail by zooming in and rotating the model on
your iPad. Students can learn about the parts of the cells by tapping on them to reveal their labels
and a brief description of that part’s function.
Click here for the iPad version. Click here for the Android version.
Applications for Education
While using the iCell app students can select from basic, intermediate, and advanced description
options. The basic option is good for middle school students while the intermediate and advanced
options are better for high school students.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/look-inside-cells-with-icell.html#.UPcyBCdEGSo
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A Slower Speed of Light - A MIT Game for Learning About Special
Relativity
The MIT Game Lab recently released an interesting game designed to demonstrate the visual
effects of special relativity. A Slower Speed of Light seems simple enough on the surface, you walk
through virtual worlds picking up orbs, but the game gets quite difficult because of the visual
effects. The game attempts to mirror the speed of light to the player's actual walking pace which is
what changes the visual complexity displayed in each level of the game. Learn more about the game
in the video below.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/11/a-slower-speed-of-light-mit-gamefor.html#.UPcyLSdEGSp
Chemistry Experiments That Changed the World
I don't why it's taken me so long to do this, but I finally spent some time browsing through the
videos on Hank Green's SciShow. One of the videos that grabbed my attention as something that
my friend and high school chemistry teacher Walter Perry would like is 3 Chemistry Experiments
That Changed the World. You can watch the video below.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/chemistry-experiments-that-changedworld.html#.UPcx2CdEGSo
5 Innovative Mind-Mapping Tools For Education
Topics: Google Docs, imindmap, mind mapping, organization, spiderscribe, tools, web
resources
inShare177
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What do you do when you have an elaborate project, assignment, or paper that needs to be
quickly organized? Do you fire up Microsoft Word and whip up an outline? Do you pull out a pen
and paper and start sketching?
What if you could have the best of both options with a free online tool? It’s called ‘mind
mapping’ (“Mind Map” is a trademark of the Buzan Organization.) and it’s basically a fun and
intuitive way to visually organize your thoughts. Thanks to a recent article, I received an influx of
mind-mapping web tools that I wanted to pass along to the Edudemic audience. Enjoy!
http://edudemic.com/2012/03/mind-mapping/