TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 24, 2013
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
Timeline JS - Northwestern University Knight Lab
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Create beautiful interactive timelines quickly and easily. Begin with a Google spreadsheet from the template provided. Add from a variety of media sources such as Twitter, Google Maps,...more
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Create beautiful interactive timelines quickly and easily. Begin with a Google spreadsheet from the template provided. Add from a variety of media sources such as Twitter, Google Maps, YouTube, and much more. When finished, publish to the web, and share using links or embed code. Be sure to check out the example link for suggestions and ideas for use. The tutorial video is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, it may not be viewable.
tag(s): digital storytelling (141), timelines (49)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to share timelines about historical events, research literature, learn about different decades and events throughout the world, and more. Transform student technology use by having them create timelines for research projects. Use a whole class Google account or individual Google apps accounts if you have them. Use this tool to make a timeline of your school year. Create author biographies, animal life cycles, or timelines of events and causes of wars. Challenge students to create a timeline of the plot of a novel, interspersed with the ways themes appear throughout the novel. If you teach chemistry, have students create illustrated sequences explaining oxidation or reduction (or both). Have elementary students interview grandparents and create a class timeline about their grandparents for Grandparents' Day. Why not create a timeline highlighting students' family events for a special gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, or other holidays? You may need to assign students to do some investigative work first (years of births, marriages, vacations, etc.). In world language classes, have students create a timeline of their family in the language to master with vocabulary about relatives, jobs, and more (and verb tenses!). Students learn about photo selection, detail writing, chronological order, and photo digitization while creating the timelines of their choice. Making a timeline is also a good way to review the history and cultural developments.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Young George Washington's Adventures - National Park Service
Grades
3 to 8
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Learn about George Washington's early military career through this interactive that takes him on a mission to bring peace to the Ohio Valley. Along the way, stop to brainstorm items...more
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Learn about George Washington's early military career through this interactive that takes him on a mission to bring peace to the Ohio Valley. Along the way, stop to brainstorm items that he may have brought with him. Use the maps to find details, learn about clothing of the time, and meet other people involved with the mission.
tag(s): american revolution (81), native americans (91), presidents (121), washington (25)
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of George Washington or the American Revolution. Have students create an annotated image of George Washington or a related image including text boxes and links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Have students collaborate and create maps using MapHub, reviewed here, of Washington's journey. Students can add icons, text, images, and location stops! Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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Jimdo - Christian Springub
Grades
K to 12
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Create a free website in just minutes with Jimdo. Use the drag and drop feature to insert and move content easily. Toolbars offer editing options such as adding images from ...more
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Create a free website in just minutes with Jimdo. Use the drag and drop feature to insert and move content easily. Toolbars offer editing options such as adding images from Flickr, including YouTube videos, files, Google Maps, and formatting your text. Add share buttons to connect your site using social networking. Changes save and publish automatically. Although there are paid options, the free site offers 500mb of storage along with many features useful for the casual website builder.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communication (136), portfolios (22), social networking (68)
In the Classroom
Possible uses are only limited by your imagination! Create your own website for parents and students to stay updated on classroom happenings. Include links for students to submit assignments, your contact information, and anything else you might want to include. Try using Jimdo for: "visual essays;" digital biodiversity logs (with digital pictures students take); online literary magazines; or personal reflections in images and text. Use this tool for research project presentations. Create comparisons of online content, such as political candidates' sites or content sites used in research (compared for bias). Create science sites to document experiments or illustrate concepts, such as the water cycle. Use this site for "visual" lab reports. Have students create digital scrapbooks using images from the public domain and video and audio clips from a time in history - - such as the Roaring Twenties. Use it for local history interactive stories or visual interpretations of major concepts, such as a "visual" U.S. Constitution. Imagine building your own online library of raw materials for your students to create their own "web pages" as a new way of assessing understanding. You provide the digital pictures, and they sequence, caption, and write about them (younger students). With older students, you can provide the steps in a project as a template, and they can insert the actual content of their own. After a first project where you provide "building blocks," the sky is the limit on what students can create. The free account does limit the amount of file storage, so you may want to create several class accounts for small groups to use. Even the very young can make suggestions as you "create" a whole-class product together using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Consider making a new project for each unit you teach so students can "recap" long after the unit ends. Use as an online portfolio for high schools students to include with college or job applications.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)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Science Take - New York Times
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore many "one minute" science videos about the natural world at this engaging site. Learn unique and fascinating adaptations of animals. There are cheetahs, dolphins, sharks, and...more
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Explore many "one minute" science videos about the natural world at this engaging site. Learn unique and fascinating adaptations of animals. There are cheetahs, dolphins, sharks, and many others. Share videos directly through email or by copying the link. Use the embed code to place videos directly into a webpage or wiki. (You have to wait for the ads to run before the actual videos start.) Videos also have links to "related articles" that do not seem to be limited by the New York Times monthly freebie limits. These are informational science text at its best!
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): adaptations (14), animals (280), behavior (43)
In the Classroom
Use these videos as supplementary material for a classroom lesson. Share the videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Show the video as an introduction to a written exercise, describing what you see, or as a minute journal. Use these videos to create an online resource that can be used in place of textbooks. Share this as a resource during a research project on animals, and have students create wiki pages about their animal (possibly embedding a video). Challenge students to create their own one minute videos about various topics in science class. Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nixon Tapes and Transcripts - Luke Nichter
Grades
8 to 12
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As its name implies, Nixon Tapes and Transcripts is dedicated to the collection of the tapes secretly recorded by Richard Nixon during his presidency. The collection contains over 700...more
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As its name implies, Nixon Tapes and Transcripts is dedicated to the collection of the tapes secretly recorded by Richard Nixon during his presidency. The collection contains over 700 audio files containing 2300 hours of conversation. There are various file formats: mp3, pdf, and others.The site is searchable. Choose audio & transcripts to find conversations by primary participants or selected themes. Each conversation includes information on date and time as well as links to download audio or a transcript.
tag(s): 1960s (27), presidents (121)
In the Classroom
Use portions of tapes and transcripts during lessons on the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon, presidents, the 1960s and 70s, and more. Share a link to specific conversations on your class website, and have students create blogs. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. Have students use Fakebook (reviewed here) to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about participants in conversations during the Nixon era.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Classic Mistake Math - Calculator Software
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
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Classic Mistake Math is a gallery of posters and accompanying audio files demonstrating classic math mistakes. Choose color or black and white to download any poster in PDF format....more
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Classic Mistake Math is a gallery of posters and accompanying audio files demonstrating classic math mistakes. Choose color or black and white to download any poster in PDF format. Listen to an explanation of the mistake by choosing the mp3 option. Download audio explanations through a simple right click. This site was created in the United Kingdom. American English speakers may notice some slight differences.
tag(s): decimals (84), exponents (35), fractions (159), multiplication (122), negative numbers (12), prime numbers (26), time (92)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for classroom use throughout the year. Show a poster on your interactive whiteboard and have students explain the mistake shown in the poster. Use this site as a model for students to create their own classic mistakes posters with errors made in the classroom. Have students upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned by using a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here. After a test, ask students to look for their own mistakes on this site -- or on posters you have printed and hung in your classroom -- as a sort of visual "error analysis"Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Listly - Shyam Subramanyan and Boomy Labs
Grades
9 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Listly is an online application for creating, curating, and sharing "social" lists. You are able to view lists without any login or account. Create an account on Listly to start ...more
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Listly is an online application for creating, curating, and sharing "social" lists. You are able to view lists without any login or account. Create an account on Listly to start your own list following the simple instructions, using your online dashboard. Edit features include tags, description, and options for comments and guest participation. Allow others to add to your list or move items up and down in rank. Use the code to embed a list into your website/blog or share by URL. Add the bookmarklet to your browser's toolbar to easily add any web page to a list. Not ready to create your own lists? Use the search bar to find lists already created on any subject.
tag(s): bookmarks (47), curation (35), organizational skills (90), polls and surveys (46)
In the Classroom
Listly is useful for polling students for their suggestions and votes on any topic: MOST important reason why the colonists revolted, BEST example of a sonnet, best book for science lovers, etc. School library/media centers can share lists of favorite books or best places to learn about a specific topic and allow students or classes to edit/re-rank the lists. Listly requires individual logins to vote. The best solution to greenhouse gasses? Favorite math site? The best resource for learning about pollution... best anything! Create a list to collect parental input on field trip ideas, class t-shirts, or many other topics.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 embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learning Theory - Holistic Approach to Technology Enhanced Learning
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This colorful "web" of terms shares scientific disciplines, learning theorists, learning paradigms, and key concepts of learning theory. Learn about some of the "big names" in child...more
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This colorful "web" of terms shares scientific disciplines, learning theorists, learning paradigms, and key concepts of learning theory. Learn about some of the "big names" in child development and education. Brush up on your own professional knowledge of countless educational theories and topics. Explore educators such as Piaget, Dewey, Montessori, and Gardner. Read articles about constructivism, multiple intelligences, behaviorism, and more. This site was created in the United Kingdom. American English speakers may notices some slight spelling differences.
tag(s): multiple intelligences (7), psychology (67), teaching strategies (41)
In the Classroom
Use Learning Theory when you continue your education in graduate school or with your student teacher or mentoree. Save this site in your favorites to use as needed to brush up on education reformers of the past and theories of the past and present. Use it to help you explain why you do what you do to parents or administrators.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Depression Quest: An Interactive (non)Fiction Game - Zoe Quinn
Grades
9 to 12
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Depression Quest is an interactive story/game that allows you to play the role of someone living with depression. Features include about 150 unique encounters with five endings demonstrating...more
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Depression Quest is an interactive story/game that allows you to play the role of someone living with depression. Features include about 150 unique encounters with five endings demonstrating how well you deal with your depression. The set up is similar to "Choose Your Own Adventure" type stories. Choose play to begin reading the first scenario. Choose from options offered with each portion of the interactive until reaching the conclusion to find out how you managed your life. There is an option to donate to this site, but the activity is free.
tag(s): mental health (34), psychology (67)
In the Classroom
Depression Quest would be excellent for use in high school health classes or even counselor sessions. Treat the topic with sensitivity, since you never know who may be struggling with depression. You will probably want to keep this topic as one of many options for student research and investigation. Try the interactive as a small group option to discuss scenarios and different options. Allow students to complete the activity on individual computers so they can answer individually. Possible have them replay the game to find what would happen if making different choices. Challenge students to create a presentation using Prezi (reviewed here) about depression and other mental health issues as part of a unit in health or psychology class. Share with your school's counselor for use with small groups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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News in Levels - newsinlevels.com
Grades
K to 8
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Find high interest, leveled news articles (and lessons) for English language learners. Although this site was designed for ENL/ESL it could be very useful in any elementary classroom...more
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Find high interest, leveled news articles (and lessons) for English language learners. Although this site was designed for ENL/ESL it could be very useful in any elementary classroom looking for informational texts that can be differentiated for various reading levels (great for meeting Common Core standards). This tool could be used with any readers to increase comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary skills. There are three difficulty levels. Complete the Test Your Level exercise in the pop-up box after you first get to the home page to find out what level will be best for you. Many of the lessons include audio and practice exercises. In addition, interesting pictures pique the students' interest. The same story is presented in all of the various levels. The vocabulary at lower levels repeats at the higher levels with more vocabulary added as the level increases. Definitions for the vocabulary words, below the reading, assists with English meanings. The audio is hosted on YouTube. At the time of this review, most of the news story content was fine for all ages. However, please preview the story before you share it with your class to be certain it is appropriate.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): differentiation (84), guided reading (32), multilingual (65), news (229), reading comprehension (141)
In the Classroom
Add this website to your classroom computers, websites, and newsletters for parents of ENL/ESL students or beginning readers. This tool is especially helpful at the beginning of the year, as you are learning students' reading levels. Use this tool to differentiate in all primary classes. Although this site was created for English Language Learners, it could still be used by all students including gifted and learning support. Differentiate for your advanced/gifted students in elementary, while meeting Common Core standards of Informational Text. Use these news articles as informational text meeting your Common Core goals. Assign students of different levels the same story at the appropriate level or build skills by sharing the same story as a class. Challenge groups to compare the stories in pairs. Have students create a visual presentation of the story. First have students create a rough draft of their comic using Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here. For Level 1 readers have them create their final comic using ToonyTool, reviewed here, for Level 3 readers use Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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