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February 1, 2016
Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers®
This Saturday is Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. This little-known event is the perfect “sweet” treat to make your February fabulous. Read more about the history of the holiday here. TeachersFirst likes to share intellectual “ice cream” with you and your students every day. What is your favorite “flavor” of ice cream to share with your class: tools to engage, collaborate, differentiate, enrich, or possibly a different flavor? Let TeachersFirst provide that flavor and you can choose your own toppings and enjoy the sweet treats in your class!
OK2Ask Opportunities
OK2Ask® is back and better than ever. Don’t miss our fabulous February sessions. All sessions are offered on Tuesdays at 7pm Eastern. Read our FAQ for general information about certificates, etc. Please be sure to read the detailed descriptions and suggested technology comfort levels BEFORE you register for the best match for your learning needs.
- Innovation with Gamification Level Up Your Learning; February 2
- Awesome Apps for Education from Google; February 9
- Easy Book Report Alternatives; February 16
- Three Cool Tools to Power Up Your Images; February 23
Slipping?
As you approach the end of the semester, you probably have some students who are slipping. This is the perfect time to suggest some study skills resources that they can try as they study for tests or review material. You can also find tools to create study aids at the TeachersFirst Edge Study Aid Creator resources.
Texting.. Texting.. Yes or No?
This week’s Teacher Poll asks: How many of your students bring cell phones to class? Place your vote on the teacher poll on the TeachersFirst home page.
February Fun
This week we celebrate Groundhog Day. If you teach the primary grades, don’t miss this engaging Groundhog story. February is FULL of observances, celebrations, and more. Start planning now to celebrate the 100th Day of School, Dental Health Month, The Super Bowl (and measurement), National Inventors’ Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Digital Learning Day, and Black History Month. Visit the TeachersFirst Classroom Planning Calendar to find resources for events and observances throughout 2016.
Be the "Techspert"
Do you enjoy sharing edtech teaching resources with your students or colleagues? You can post the weekly TeachersFirst Featured Sites automatically on your class web page, wiki, or blog using one of the two embed widgets offered here. Copy the embed code, paste it into your page (code view), and Save. The Featured Sites change every Saturday night at midnight Eastern US time. If you aren’t sure how to use an embed code, ask your edtech coach or technology integration specialist to show you or try this helpful resource.
Weather On Your Mind?
It is what everyone is talking about—weather! Now is the perfect time for your science unit on weather, the atmosphere, and climate. It is also the perfect time for our CurriConnects theme, Weather, Climate, and Earth's Atmosphere. CurriConnects book lists provide choices for student independent reading in support of curriculum content. This particular list is rich in “informational texts” you can use for Common Core reading and science literacy. Our CurriConnects lists for over two dozen curriculum areas include interest levels, reading levels, and a short “blurb” to help any student find a book of interest.
Featured Sites
This week in our Featured Sites you will find:
- TWO resources from the World Affairs Council
- Add Text
- Comments4Kids
- Bystander Revolution—Take the Power Out of Bullying
- Science Underground
- Math = Love
- Ourboox
- And more
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are reading this February 7 or later, the link above will take you to the Featured Sites for the current week. Find the archived January 31th Features here, and don’t miss our many other recent additions from the link at the bottom of the Featured Sites page.
The TeachersFirst Team