TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 13, 2016

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

 

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MathScienceMusic - Theolonius Monk Institute of Jaz

Grades
K to 12
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MathScienceMusic provides a large variety of free, engaging, resources to teach math, science, and music to students from kindergarten through college all created through a collaboration...more
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MathScienceMusic provides a large variety of free, engaging, resources to teach math, science, and music to students from kindergarten through college all created through a collaboration with Jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. Click letters on the homepage to begin your musical experience, then scroll down to view the available resources. Each group of resources includes a video introduction explaining the content. Some of the choices include Scratch Jazz (music and coding) and Groove Pizza (Shapes and Angles and Groove). All activities include a short description along with suggestions for appropriate grade level, concepts taught, and links to additional resources. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): angles (51), animation (61), brain (54), coding (87), fractions (159), geometric shapes (135), india (25), multiples (15), music theory (45), musical instruments (45), musical notation (35), numbers (119), patterns (63), preK (254), ratios (47), sound (74)

In the Classroom

Share activities from MathScienceMusic on your interactive whiteboard with students, then let them explore independently. Scratch Jazz is perfect for teaching basic coding; students interested in music will enjoy creating their own jazz-themed project using the site's tutorial. Add interest to math lessons by taking advantage of the free lesson plans. Be sure to check out the link to Math and Music Standards found on the music and math curriculum page. Have students modify their learning by creating videos of their music creations using moovly, reviewed here and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Be sure to have them discuss their journey from the beginning through the final creation of their project. Team up with your school's music teacher to collaborate on the many activities provided on this site.
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The Global Virtual Stock Exchange - Stock-Trak

Grades
8 to 12
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Learn global economics with real world experience playing the stock exchange game. Register on the site to browse and find current games to join or create your own game. Game ...more
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Learn global economics with real world experience playing the stock exchange game. Register on the site to browse and find current games to join or create your own game. Game creators choose from many personalization options including type of currency, trading dates, countries to include, and much more. Additional teacher resources include allowing loan options, downloading of all transactions, and streaming ranks for student result comparisons.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): competitions (10), currency (14), stock market (9)

In the Classroom

Use The Global Virtual Stock Exchange to teach economics in your classroom. Before setting up a competition, share the site with students and allow plenty of time to explore the many resources for learning about the stock market and participating in a game. Be sure to point out the Learning Center including many articles for beginners and stock tools. Set up a challenge with other classrooms or learning partners and compete against each other. Have cooperative learning groups create weekly podcasts discussing market trends and the latest economic news. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.

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Owl Eyes - Alex Bloomingdale

Grades
8 to 12
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Read, annotate, bookmark, and share literature, poetry, and nonfiction with Owl Eyes. Read any available selection without registration; however, free registration (with email) opens...more
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Read, annotate, bookmark, and share literature, poetry, and nonfiction with Owl Eyes. Read any available selection without registration; however, free registration (with email) opens up a world of options. Add any book to your library to add your own highlights or annotations. View analysis available on the site broken down by chapters and literary context. Options for annotating include adding highlights, questions, tags, and correlation to Common Core Standards. Create a classroom to assign books. Video tutorials reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): authors (103), book lists (159), literature (217), poetry (188), reading comprehension (142), reading strategies (96)

In the Classroom

Use this site to assign reading of classic texts, nonfiction, poetry, and stories. Take advantage of the included annotations found with literature selections to build Common Core skills analyzing informational texts. Use this site to post and share discussion assignments on texts and selections from the text. Share Owl Eyes with students for use with literature circles (or small groups reading) as a tool to collaborate, improve reading strategies skills, and to present their book to the class.

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Animatron - Dmitry Skavish

Grades
K to 12
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Design, organize, animate, and publish creations using Animatron. Use Animatron's backgrounds and characters, or upload your own. Be sure to take advantage of the Tutorials and Tips,...more
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Design, organize, animate, and publish creations using Animatron. Use Animatron's backgrounds and characters, or upload your own. Be sure to take advantage of the Tutorials and Tips, and the Knowledge Base for a full understanding of the many features available. Registration isn't required to create an Animatron project; however, you will need to register to save and share. Free accounts allow users to create up to five public projects with up to 2GB storage (50Gb/month). The Tutorials are in video format and reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video tutorials may not be viewable.

tag(s): animation (61), movies (51), multimedia (43), slides (45), video (256)

In the Classroom

Challenge older students to create their own Animatrons. Students can use Animatron to share their ideas or to "prototype" an idea. Students can create videos to show math processes, explanations of complex concepts, review new learning, teach others, explain scientific processes, tell stories, or present research. Flip your classroom using Animatron presentations. Use Animatron to create teacher-authored animations for students in ANY grade. Animatron is an excellent way to present new information or ideas for discussion. It is an easy way to prepare information for the class when a substitute is coming. Share Animatron creations on your website or blog for students to review at home. Use an Animatron video on the first day of school to explain class rules or give an exciting introduction to the year ahead. Use Animatron to create movies or presentations for back-to-school night or conference nights to display on your interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Teacher-librarians can ask students to create Animatron book reviews to share kiosk style in the library/media center.

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QuoDeck - Ptotem Technologies

Grades
5 to 12
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Create interactive mobile game-based learning content with QuoDeck's tools. Create an account, then choose from tools to make flashcards, video and picture quizzes, multiple choice...more
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Create interactive mobile game-based learning content with QuoDeck's tools. Create an account, then choose from tools to make flashcards, video and picture quizzes, multiple choice quizzes, or teach a simple concept. Follow prompts to personalize content and change themes. When finished, share the content using provided links. Not sure that you can create your own? Use the search bar to find tools made by others to use as a starting point for your content.

tag(s): flash cards (42), game based learning (171), gamification (74), quiz (67), quizzes (90), test prep (66)

In the Classroom

Use QuoDeck to share content for flipped learning, or for a quick assessment during lessons. Share quizzes on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector at the end of a lesson. Allow students to create quizzes and flashcards to share with the class. Use video and picture quizzes as an introduction to new content to gather information on students' prior knowledge. Create your own micro-learning management system (micro-LMS) to deliver content through short, focused lessons. Be sure to download the micro-LMS whitepaper for a better understanding of how this works.

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The Stock Market Game - Securities Industry and Financial Markets Assoc Foundation

Grades
4 to 12
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Using hands-on lessons, students work in teams to learn the basics of investing, create $100,000 portfolios, manage an investment portfolio in a real-world scenario of a dynamic marketplace,...more
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Using hands-on lessons, students work in teams to learn the basics of investing, create $100,000 portfolios, manage an investment portfolio in a real-world scenario of a dynamic marketplace, learn other economic concepts, and compete against teams across the globe while fostering teamwork and decision-making skills. Created in 1977 by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Foundation, The Stock Market Game (SMG) is an online simulation game for teaching students about the global capital markets and the stock market. Teachers must register for their school and students and then will receive essential information on program requirements and important dates. Adults are welcome to play after completing the online registration.

tag(s): business (47), DAT device agnostic tool (143), game based learning (171), investing (5), money (119), stock market (9)

In the Classroom

Participants who register as "Teachers with Classes" receive extensive teacher support, including a searchable library of standards, curriculum materials, and assessments. While providing real-world practice, SMG engages students in the core academic subjects, such as math, English, and economics. Lesson plans include Teacher Background and materials to implement the lesson with students. Find more information by perusing additional publications, links, and other resources. Contact a local SMG Coordinator for additional assistance. Use the game in individual classes, school-wide, in after school clubs, or with home-schoolers. Encourage families to play at home together or collaborate with others. Additional benefits include higher math and financial literacy scores on tests by students who play SMG. Also, teachers report that the program even taught them about financial planning, research, and investing wisely. Because this is ongoing activity, enhance learning with the use of technology throughout. Have students share financial resource sites using a bookmarking tool like Papaly, reviewed here. In addition to curating and sharing bookmarks, Papaly allows you the opportunity to add notes and comments to sites shared. Have students use a video creation tool like Powtoon, reviewed here, to make explainer videos of financial concepts. Ask groups of students to produce and share podcasts (perhaps weekly or bi-weekly) to discuss their learning and progress within the Stock Market Game. Buzzsprout, reviewed here, is a free tool for creating and sharing podcasts.

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