TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jul 15, 2012
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
about.me - Tony Conrad, Ryan Freitas, Tim Young
Grades
6 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Promote yourself for college or future jobs by creating your own "me portfolio" website. No matter your age or stage in life, in today's world you are what Google shows ...more
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Promote yourself for college or future jobs by creating your own "me portfolio" website. No matter your age or stage in life, in today's world you are what Google shows about you. Take control of your online presence to show your chosen audience what YOU want them to know. You are more than your FaceBook persona or Linked In profile. about.me allows you to create a "hub" with links to your online projects you want visitors to see. Upload a photo, write a short piece about your interests, then link to your online content and social networks. There is also an Assets page where you can download the about.me logo and colors to add to other pages and projects you have on the web so visitors will link back to the hub and discover your other projects. The Terms of Use for About.Me prohibits creating fictitious personas.
tag(s): college (45), communication (136), internet safety (113), portfolios (22), social networking (67)
In the Classroom
Counselors and teachers could work together to have high school students make about.me the place they use as a "branding" home for themselves online. Start by making your own About.me page to mange your own professional presence and use as an example. Suggest to students that they use a "me portfolio" on about.me for college apps, employment apps, etc. Using about.me is also the perfect opportunity to talk with students about their online presence and how outsiders might interpret what they decide to post on about.me or any social network. Along with that discussion you'll want to review Internet safety and privacy. Consider using Privacy and Internet Safety, reviewed here. If you teach gifted students (13+) who are working beyond your regular curriculum, start by having them create a real world presence using about.me, with parent permission of course. Use this space for them to publish links to their best work, especially projects that take on a life of their own long after the assignment ends. Have a student interested in international politics? Maybe STEM cell research? Have the share the class project that got the started along with essays about where they see themselves in ten years or portfolios of their related accomplishments, including those outside of school. This portfolio site is not something to "pile up" with everything. It is for them to present their best face to the public. Encourage them to take ownership of it.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
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Lalo.li - Franz Enzenhofer
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
1 Comments
Type a message and Lalo.li will read it aloud using a voice synthesizer. Adjust message quality using the word gap, speed, amplitude, and pitch icons. Just click on the circle ...more
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Type a message and Lalo.li will read it aloud using a voice synthesizer. Adjust message quality using the word gap, speed, amplitude, and pitch icons. Just click on the circle and turn to change the quality. Copy and paste the URL to share your audio message or use links to share via social networking such as Facebook and Twitter. Here is a sample . At the time of this review, the site only worked using Firefox or Chrome.
tag(s): communication (136), text to speech (19)
In the Classroom
This would be great for ESL/ELL learners; have them type a short sentence and listen to the playback to verify that the sentence is correct. It would also be a great practice for beginning readers. Use your interactive whiteboard and have the class tell a very brief story or say a sentence. After typing the sentence into the program, user a pointer for each word as the synthesizer reads it, or have students take turns pointing out the words. Share tonight's homework on your class web page as a link to an audio reminder simply by typing or pasting in the assignment and copying the link to place it on your web page.Comments
When I tried to use it with Safari on a new Mac in 10.7, it said I needed to use only Firefox or Chrome Too bad.Constance, RI, Grades: 0 - 12
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Knoema - Knoema
Grades
9 to 12
3 Favorites
1 Comments
This easy to use site is a large collection of maps and data sets for access by the public. Find maps, data, and charts for almost all countries. Choose from ...more
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This easy to use site is a large collection of maps and data sets for access by the public. Find maps, data, and charts for almost all countries. Choose from data categories that include Per Capita Income, Government Debt, Housing, Energy Consumption, Agricultural Production, and more. Select a data set to view. Choose the available countries from the drop-down. Export, download, or embed the data into your blog or site. Peruse community boards for information on statistics and apps for sharing (Facebook and Twitter) on Knoema. Upload data and create presentations and pages with the data simply and easily. Find tutorials about all you can do with Knoema here.
tag(s): charts and graphs (169), countries (69), data (147), maps (207), statistics (114)
In the Classroom
Use in Social Studies or World Cultures to compare economic indicators of countries. Create data sets and visualizations of environmental data around the world. Use data in the writing of papers or creation of presentations on the country statistics such as GDP or exported goods. Trying to find meaningful data to include in an infographic? Knoema has it! Math teachers can use data sets for practice activities with statistics.Comments
I absolutely love Knoema! They also have World Data Atlas (Chrome Web Store app for free) - chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/world-data-atlas/knlgfedckdhkgjinnhogmhkbcjpmmhko that I strongly advise to use.Olga, , Grades: 0 - 12
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Discover Design: A Student Design Experience - Chicago Architecture Foundation
Grades
8 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Learn about architectural design and construction of buildings and more and about design in general. This site also gives teens a forum to post design ideas and receive feedback from...more
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Learn about architectural design and construction of buildings and more and about design in general. This site also gives teens a forum to post design ideas and receive feedback from others their age as well as teachers and design professionals. Discover Design also promotes challenges every year for student teams to create an innovative remake of something (community market, lunchroom, food stand, library and community center, etc.) for their community. Another design challenge is a CIRT Nation Design and Construction Competition. Examples of past challenges are designing Water Resource Management and Preservation, a National Pavilion, and a Gastronomic Center (a space for cultural exchange through styles of cookery). Check registration deadlines as one is usually in the spring and another at the end of the year. View the contest requirements and rules in great detail with forms on the site. Use this site for lessons and information without an account, but to use the forum tool you need to create an account.
tag(s): architecture (64), engineering (119), makerspace (41), measurement (126), modeling (8)
In the Classroom
Teach students about applied science and math through the use of design. Students will see real life applications, get energized about a possible career, and go beyond repetitious facts or abstract theories. Use this site to spark ideas for your students. Use one of the smaller past challenges for your class. Have students compete to create a new student locker or lunch tray. Have them do research and design prototypes. Have students display their work locally for the school and community. Judge work by the public or by classmates on a rubric. Even if you are not part of the larger Maker's Faire movement, your students can be involved in hands-on design and innovation.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Instant Classroom Seating Chart - Instant Classroom
Grades
K to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
This free site makes classroom management easier by letting you create a seating chart easily. There is also a Random Name Generator and a Classroom Group Maker. You can create ...more
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This free site makes classroom management easier by letting you create a seating chart easily. There is also a Random Name Generator and a Classroom Group Maker. You can create many groups with up to 100 students in each group.
tag(s): classroom management (128), Teacher Utilities (146)
In the Classroom
Use this site at the beginning of the year to create a seating chart for your classroom. Use the drag and drop technology to configure the desks the way you want them. Use the Random Name Generator to choose a student for an activity or to answer a question. If you need to create groups of 2, 3 or more, use the Classroom Group Maker to automatically split your class into even groups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scale of the Universe 2 - Cary and Michael Huang
Grades
6 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Scale of the Universe 2 zooms into the smallest parts of atoms and out to the largest items in the solar system. Use your mouse or click to view objects ...more
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Scale of the Universe 2 zooms into the smallest parts of atoms and out to the largest items in the solar system. Use your mouse or click to view objects that vary incredibly in size. Use this tool to get a sense of the size of the universe through the relationship between familiar and unfamiliar objects. Click on the object, and an information box pops up. Click on the musical note in the upper right corner to silence the music. Spend many hours perusing the variety of information on this site.
tag(s): atoms (42), measurement (126), planets (112), space (213)
In the Classroom
Use your projector or interactive whiteboard and spend time moving through the objects and looking at the relationships between the sizes. Be sure to instruct students on how to read powers of 10 for understanding of the sizes. This would also be a way to help students visualize the concept of scientific notation! Use the items as part of a "size scavenger hunt." Consider creating visual displays of information similar to this to show relationships between objects. Use a zooming tool such as Prezi or any other multimedia tool.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ProCon - Procon.org
Grades
7 to 12
7 Favorites
2 Comments
Procon presents controversial issues in a non-partisan manner. Find current issues with balanced information to promote critical thinking without bias. Categories include Education,...more
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Procon presents controversial issues in a non-partisan manner. Find current issues with balanced information to promote critical thinking without bias. Categories include Education, Entertainment & Sports, Elections & Presidents, Science & Technology, and New Topics among others. Issues can include Abortion, Euthanasia, Climate Change, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Health Care Reform, Obesity, and the Death Penalty, just to name a few. Read the information on each issue in a Pro and Con format along with background information, and discussion questions. Some included video clips. Some topics are controversial, so adults using this site with young people may want to go directly to a single issue rather than having them browse openly.
tag(s): climate change (87), critical thinking (112), debate (37), difficult conversations (58), persuasive writing (55), politics (112)
In the Classroom
Using controversial topics that have more than one side is a great way to develop critical thinking and problem solving. Find issues on this site that relate to your curriculum and use them as an entry point for a new unit. Use the teaching resources found on the top menu under the Teacher's Corner. Use this site to teach how to distinguish facts from opinions, using information to write essays or create speeches, or hold a class debate. You may want to facilitate student persuasive writing by using an outline such as Persuasion Map, reviewed here, to help them organize their thinking. Help students develop flexibility in their thinking by having them take part in a difficult conversation and argue a side they do NOT agree with. This will also help students think about how to refute a point the opposition will make. Focus on critical thinking with your students to develop skills needed for life. Use as a whole class activity or for individual students to find an issue of interest to them. Gifted students often think deeply on such issues at an early age and will find these topics of great interest. Use this site to guide a deliberate discussion or debate.Comments
I also love this site, but I don't see any advertising on there at all. The site is free. Not sure how they stay afloat but I'm glad they do. For me, it is better than Opposing Viewpoints database for its depth, ease of use, and lack of registration/passwords. I use it for student debates on current events, and my wife (an English teacher) uses it for persuasive essays and role play debates.ProCon, , Grades: 0 - 12
I've used this and it's great! Balanced, has good resources. Helps students see both sides of an issue.Frances, CT, Grades: 6 - 8
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Numbersleuth: Magnifying the Universe - Science is Beautiful
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This site shows the scale of items from the atom to the universe by using an interactive Infographic. Choose from nine items to begin comparison. Use the blue dot to ...more
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This site shows the scale of items from the atom to the universe by using an interactive Infographic. Choose from nine items to begin comparison. Use the blue dot to zoom in and out by sliding it up and down. The dial gives the difference in size. Be sure to view the Infographic full screen.
tag(s): animals (281), atoms (42), earth (185), measurement (126), planets (112), space (213)
In the Classroom
Provide time for student groups to explore this tool, record observations, discuss information they know, and generate questions. Research information to answer questions. Use this site before discussing the metric system or conversions between various units. It can be used to discuss the use of significant figures and errors in measurements and numbers. Use it as a springboard to measuring and comparing various items that students are familiar with. Embed this on to your class site for easy access by students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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