TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Nov 18, 2018

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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Where Science Meets Art - National Public Radio

Grades
8 to 12
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This series explores the intersection of art and science through thought-provoking podcast discussions. Topics range from music and its healing effect to the inclusion of optics and...more
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This series explores the intersection of art and science through thought-provoking podcast discussions. Topics range from music and its healing effect to the inclusion of optics and physics in sculpture. Each podcast is under 10 minutes long. Listen to podcasts online, download, or use the embed code to include on your class website or blog.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): colors (65), earth (185), evolution (85), music theory (45), podcasts (72), sculpture (21), STEM (259)

In the Classroom

Use this site to "hook" artistic-inclined students into learning more about the science behind their interests. Share podcasts with your students on your class website or have students listen on their own devices. After listening to podcasts, ask students to explore the topic further through research online. Instead of creating a written or online list of bookmarks used, replace these and have students create a Padlet, reviewed here, to include bookmarks, images, videos, and additional content. Share the Padlet with other students and classes to allow others to collaborate on the topic. Use this podcast series as inspiration for students to create their own podcasts. Instead of having students respond through a writing project, expand this into a weekly or bi-weekly podcast sharing student research into the arts and sciences. Podcast Generator, reviewed here, is one of many free podcasting tools available to create and share podcasts.

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Radiooooo - Benjamin Moreau

Grades
K to 12
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Discover music from all over the world and from over 100 years back in time! Visit Radiooooo and start listening immediately (no registration required) or download the iOS or Android...more
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Discover music from all over the world and from over 100 years back in time! Visit Radiooooo and start listening immediately (no registration required) or download the iOS or Android app. Just select a country (all countries in yellow have music), decade, and mood (from tabs at the bottom) the music will begin. Create a thematice playlist from different countries and decades using "Islands Mode. Create an account to save your favorites, or upload your own favorite music. There are different subscription programs for a cost. This review is for the free version

tag(s): 1900s (73), countries (69), DAT device agnostic tool (143), radio (20), songs (44)

In the Classroom

Social studies teachers will have a heyday with this program! Complement any period in time with its music. Use music from the site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Play music from the period you are studying during reading or research time. Use during current events for students to hear the music and language of the country of the article. Allow students to explore the site on their own, and then share their findings with classmates. Ask students to exchange paper journals and write about their impressions of the music and make comparisons to their favorites of today using a blog tool like Telegra.ph, reviewed here. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration. Redefine classroom technology use by challenging students create multimedia timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Any teacher will appreciate Radiooooo. Play music selections quietly during any subject and student work time. Filter distractions by finding instrumentals to play during silent reading time, test taking, lab activities, or any other quiet time during class. World language teachers can use this tool to introduce music from all the countries whose population speak the language they teach. This tool would also be perfect for performance groups such as drama clubs or musicals that need background music. Use background music for poetry readings during poetry month.

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! - National Public Radio (NPR)

Grades
6 to 12
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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! is a weekly podcast from NPR featuring celebrities and audience participation activities based on current news. Other prominent features from the podcast...more
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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! is a weekly podcast from NPR featuring celebrities and audience participation activities based on current news. Other prominent features from the podcast include games like "Bluff the Listener." In this activity, participants hear three stories, two of them fictitious, and try to guess the correct one.

tag(s): journalism (71), listening (68), logic (163), news (229), podcasts (72), problem solving (225)

In the Classroom

Subscribe to this podcast and listen together as a class. This format provides many opportunities to develop listening and problem-solving skills and also provides an opportunity to teach skills for recognizing "fake news." After listening to several podcasts encourage students to create their own programs using a similar format. First, replace paper notecards and pen and have students plan out the podcast using Notejoy, reviewed here, where students can collaborate on the script and move the notecards around until they have their podcast just right. Strenghten learning by recording and publishing their podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here.

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Spotify for Podcasters - Michael Mignano and Nir Zicherman

Grades
1 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Turn audio into a podcast using any device with Spotify for Podcasters. Add songs from Apple Music or Spotify, upload audio from your computer, or record your voice to create ...more
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Turn audio into a podcast using any device with Spotify for Podcasters. Add songs from Apple Music or Spotify, upload audio from your computer, or record your voice to create your podcast. Choose a name when finished, then upload your content as a finished podcast. For ideas on what to include in your podcast, listen to other podcasts shared on the site by members.

tag(s): communication (136), DAT device agnostic tool (143), digital storytelling (142), podcasts (72)

In the Classroom

Create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki. Looking for even more ideas? Record class assignments or directions. Record story time or a reading excerpt for younger ones to listen to at a computer center AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) enhance their learning and build fluency by recording selected passages for your non-readers. Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Challenge students to create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events. Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News," encourage and extend learning and have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!). Invite students to write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings. Language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Challenge your Shakespeare students to record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person. If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini-casts without needing any additional tools.

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Text2VoiceOver - ResponsiveVoice

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Add a voiceover to any YouTube video or video on your computer choosing from 15 different voices and 13 languages with Text2VoiceOver. Select the "Create VoiceOver" button to begin,...more
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Add a voiceover to any YouTube video or video on your computer choosing from 15 different voices and 13 languages with Text2VoiceOver. Select the "Create VoiceOver" button to begin, then choose from options to select your video. Once the video loads, select the location for your voiceover and follow directions for adding text and choosing from voice options. Be sure to watch the tutorial video with complete instructions for using the site and generating your voiceover. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): communication (136), text to speech (18), video (256)

In the Classroom

Use Text2VoiceOver to add comments and instructions to any YouTube video (or your own video) your students view. Share specific tips, ask questions, or add additional details to content. Have students create a voiceover to share their thoughts on a video, or ask questions to clarify content.

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TypeDrummer - Kyle Stetz

Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
  
Turn your typing into cool rhythmic beats with TypeDrummer. Listen to your creation as you continue typing into the box. For a change of pace, switch from the drumbeat to ...more
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Turn your typing into cool rhythmic beats with TypeDrummer. Listen to your creation as you continue typing into the box. For a change of pace, switch from the drumbeat to the song "Fool" by Moon Bounce. Click on "load new samples" only. Warning: Clicking on "Fool" will take you out of the TypeDrummer tool. After finishing your creation, use the link to share with others at the URL created for you.

tag(s): back to school (62), musical instruments (45), rhythm (20), sound (74)

In the Classroom

Catch your students' attention and type a short message to students on TypeDrummer to read as they enter the class. Create and share TypeDrummer messages on your class web page - suggestions might be reminders of due dates of upcoming tests, tips on completing homework assignments, or the daily school lunch menu. Allow students to create a TypeDrummer message as part of a presentation including the title and a summary of the presentation content. Create a list of instructions to share with students. Use TypeDrummer as part of your Back to School activities, have each student type their name and a sentence about themselves. Spice up lessons and have students type their answers using TypeDrummer.

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Buzzsprout - Tom Rossi

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 2  Comments
  
Buzzsprout offers free, easy to use, podcast hosting. Sign up to receive two hours of hosting per month. Uploads remain available for 90 days. Buzzsprout's dashboard walks you through...more
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Buzzsprout offers free, easy to use, podcast hosting. Sign up to receive two hours of hosting per month. Uploads remain available for 90 days. Buzzsprout's dashboard walks you through creating and sharing podcasts and provides information on the time remaining in your current cycle. Copy and paste one line of code to include your podcast directly on any website. Attractive features include scheduling episodes for a specific date and time, adding links, lists, chapter markers, and a "Support the show" link to your podcasts.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): communication (136), digital storytelling (142), podcasts (72)

In the Classroom

Even if you aren't ready to create podcasts, share the How To Start a Podcast page with your students with excellent tips for creating any type of speaking presentation, create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki to read/listen to in class AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) enhance their learning by building fluency and recording selected passages for your non-readers. Don't forget to have them listen and critique their podcast! Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events. Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News." Have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!). Have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings. Language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages and listening to themselves. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person. If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini casts without needing a video camera.

Comments

Great resource for podcast novices like me! I love the step-by-step instructions to help with creating a podcast as well as the helpful tips and ideas for a podcast. Can't wait to begin using with my K-5 students. Christina, , Grades: 0 - 8
The podcasting 101 information is incredibly helpful for anyone wishing to begin podcasting. It also establishes tips that can be helpful for any speaker (as the description says). Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12

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Audio Books Resources - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites 0  Comments
These educator-reviewed resources from TeachersFirst offer audio books so all students, including emerging readers and ENL/ESL learners, can experience literature and other reading...more
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These educator-reviewed resources from TeachersFirst offer audio books so all students, including emerging readers and ENL/ESL learners, can experience literature and other reading selections in audio form to reinforce and inspire literacy skills and enjoyment.

tag(s): audio books (23), listening (68), preK (254)

In the Classroom

Mark this one in your professional favorites AND share it on a class web page for access by students and parents. The helpful reviews suggest ideas for ways to use the audio books in the classroom or outside of school to reinforce literacy skills, improve English skills, or study literature in new ways.

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StoryCorps - Dave Isay

Grades
4 to 12
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StoryCorps is a nonprofit site where Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs can record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. It is one of the largest oral history ...more
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StoryCorps is a nonprofit site where Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs can record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. It is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. At the site you can download a "Do it Yourself Guide", find resources for teachers, and a list of great questions. You can subscribe to their podcast, e-newsletter, and blog, or you can upload your own story or that of a loved one or friend for free. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

tag(s): questioning (32), writing (315)

In the Classroom

Grandparent's day is in September. What better gift to a grandparent than to be able to spend time with their grandchild and tell them a story about an important time in their lives? Of course, you'll want to prepare students with some interviewing skills and questions before they interview their grandparents, and show them how to record the interview with some type of recorder (tape recorder, cell phone, video camera, etc). This recording can then be submitted to StoryCorps and it will then reside at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Students can also interview parents about their first memories of school, and what they remember about the grade that the student is currently in. Share these interviews during the first week or month of the school year. Not only can these interviews be submitted to StoryCorp, but students could then do a write up of their interviews and publish them in a classroom book of memories. Have students create online books to share with the class about their interview. Use a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Or have students narrate a photo of the person they interviewed using a site such as ThingLink, reviewed here.

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