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Transitioning to College, T2C - Kent State University
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
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This site, delivered via a LibGuide format, is a virtual field trip to a college campus and college library, giving high school students a taste of the higher education experience....more
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This site, delivered via a LibGuide format, is a virtual field trip to a college campus and college library, giving high school students a taste of the higher education experience. Topics emphasize the college and career readiness standards. Short, interesting videos (with transcripts) of college students lead visitors through what to expect, give tips on adjusting, and doing college-level work. Additional links, mostly other college sites, provide more helpful information.
tag(s): assessment (116), college (46), digital citizenship (71), media literacy (85)
In the Classroom
Find many resources to share and teach about college-level academic requirements. Assign areas to "visit" and incorporate the videos and activities into a blended learning or flipped classroom. A section on assessments and an area for educators have useful ideas for incorporating T2C in the classroom.
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Go! Ask, Act, Achieve - INFOhio
Grades
4 to 10
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Go! Ask, Act, Achieve is a free online interactive and engaging tool for students to learn the formal research process. There is no registration required. The information is divided...more
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Go! Ask, Act, Achieve is a free online interactive and engaging tool for students to learn the formal research process. There is no registration required. The information is divided into three modules, introduced by teenage Voki avatars, reviewed here. Each module links to resources and materials from various reliable sources. Modules may include text, video, and/or audio. Through these activities, students work through each section learning how to select a topic, evaluate, use and cite information, and create a final product.
tag(s): citations (33), digital citizenship (71), evaluating sources (15), inquiry (30), media literacy (85), organizational skills (97), Research (49), search strategies (24)
In the Classroom
Go! Ask, Act, Achieve is an easy-to-use introduction which demystifies and simplifies teaching the research process. Use this to meet the Common Core standards for research in a content area. Have students work through the site in sequence or pull out areas to teach skills, as needed. Don't forget to refer to the LiveBinder Teachers Guide for more fabulous ideas for the classroom.
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Cite This For Me - RefME Ltd. (2015)
Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Create bibliographies and works cited with Cite This For Me (formerly Refme). The reference styles include Harvard, APA, MLA and thousands of others. Not only can you reference the...more
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Create bibliographies and works cited with Cite This For Me (formerly Refme). The reference styles include Harvard, APA, MLA and thousands of others. Not only can you reference the standard sources (books, videos, etc.), but your sources can also be doctoral dissertations, reports, book chapters, legislation, artwork, and more. Create projects, annotate web pages, and add quotes using the RefMe's WebClipper. Scan book and journal barcodes. Sync references across devices. Invite others to collaborate on projects using any device.
In the Classroom
Share with students as a resource for saving and organizing web material. The Webclipper feature allows students to highlight the key information from a page so that a few days down the road they're not wondering why they bookmarked a web page. The bibliography tools help students properly format their Works Cited pages. Use this tool to help keep your students (or even yourself) organized! Make sure you teach plagiarism lessons about paraphrasing and proper citation of sources, so students use this tool properly! You may want to start with a review of plagiarism and copyright law by using Gaming Against Plagiarism (GAP), reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Beat's Social Studies Channel - Matt Beat
Grades
5 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Mr. Beat's YouTube Channel provides educational Social Studies videos in a storytelling format. There are a few other topics: Primary and Secondary Sources, Guide to Critical Thinking,...more
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Mr. Beat's YouTube Channel provides educational Social Studies videos in a storytelling format. There are a few other topics: Primary and Secondary Sources, Guide to Critical Thinking, and others. Be sure to check out the music video and song for each of the presidents. Other topics include using Google Earth, Presidential Elections, and Story Time with Mr. Beat. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): alaska (25), elections (76), explorers (65), gettysburg address (13), lincoln (67), presidents (119), primary sources (101), washington (25)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector. FLIP your classroom and have students view the videos at home to discuss and apply the next day in class (this is an excellent option if your school blocks YouTube). Use the videos to introduce any topic and assign others from the series for homework. Be sure to provide this link on your class website for students (and their families) to access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Creative Educator - Tech4Learning
Grades
1 to 12
9 Favorites
0 Comments
Creative Educator offers articles, lesson plans, and resources for many different ways to put creativity into the curriculum. Explore eight main topics: Creativity, Digital Storytelling,...more
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Creative Educator offers articles, lesson plans, and resources for many different ways to put creativity into the curriculum. Explore eight main topics: Creativity, Digital Storytelling, 21st Century Classrooms, Project-based Learning, Literacy, English Language Aquisition, STEAM/STEM, and Teaching and Learning. Curriculum related areas such as Literacy, English Language Aquisition, and STEM resources will grab your interest. Find a variety of lessons in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies to integrate technology and pique students' interest.
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tag(s): addition (202), creativity (98), Teacher Utilities (100)
In the Classroom
Creative Educator, designed for teachers, helps you move past stale worksheets to get inspired! Be sure to look at this site to help you discover ways to integrate technology and creativity into lessons. Work with a partner to make the lessons fit in your situation. Share at staff meetings and offer new ideas. Look for ways to bring a new focus to your gifted students. Give as a resource to students, so they can choose a multimedia product to share the content knowledge they are learning. Once you and your students are familiar with the site use Padlet, reviewed here, to list out student interests. Then use Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here, to assign lessons to groups with the same or similar interests. Older students, once they have determined their interests, can select their projects/lessons and create their own Symbaloo Learning Paths. After several selections, ask older students to choose the topic they were most interested in, find resources to learn more about the topic, then extend their learning by presenting their findings using a multimedia tool such as (click on the tool name to access the review): Canva Infographic Maker, Lucidpress, Powtoon, and Biteable.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The eLearning Coach - Connie Malamed
Grades
5 to 12
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0 Comments
Get ready to sharpen your information and visual presentations! Discover resources to make your presentations pop at The eLearning Coach. Find downloadable storyboard templates, editing...more
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Get ready to sharpen your information and visual presentations! Discover resources to make your presentations pop at The eLearning Coach. Find downloadable storyboard templates, editing tools, and examples of online learning. Included are various podcasts to support instructional design. Articles also support audio, authoring tools, graphics, video, mobile learning, and more. The site also provides support and advice. They offer many free templates, ready to go! This site contains some products for purchase. This review is for the free part of this tool.
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tag(s): digital storytelling (132), multimedia (49)
In the Classroom
Bring students to the next level of technology literacy. Bring the eLearning coach into your classroom to present different ideas and lessons. Begin with an article and allow exploration time. Offer as a resource when using multimedia. Use as a resource for yourself to make your presentations more professional and stand out! Be sure to share this tool with other teachers.
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WhoIs HostingThis: Ultimate Student Copyright Guide - Quality Nonsense, Ltd.
Grades
6 to 12
4 Favorites
1 Comments
This is a tool that explains everything you need to know about copyright, and then some! Learn what copyright is and is not, what it protects, what Public Domain is, ...more
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This is a tool that explains everything you need to know about copyright, and then some! Learn what copyright is and is not, what it protects, what Public Domain is, what the difference is between Copyright and Plagiarism, and a LOT more. Do you remember what the acronym DMCA stands for? Click on the twelfth item in the Table of Contents to find a link to The Ultimate DMCA Guide for Students. Hint: Copyright Infringement Consequences. There are several other pertinent links and resources listed under Table of Contents.
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tag(s): copyright (43), digital citizenship (71), plagiarism (30)
In the Classroom
This site is a must-share with students for all middle school and secondary teachers. Bookmark and save this site to use for discussion questions and factual information on plagiarism. As you use digital media, be sure to discuss copyright with students. Create a set of rules or reminders as a class to post in the classroom or on a class website or blog. Enhance or transform classroom technology use (depending on teacher requirements) by asking students, or small groups, to create a simple or multimedia infographic sharing their findings using Infogram, reviewed here. Share this site with parents at Back to School night for their use at home. Share a link to the site in a prominent place on your class website or blog for student reference at any time.Comments
Great resources about copyright and plagiarism for grades 6-12!Ladisha, VA, Grades: 9 - 12
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Mission Possible: Successful Online Research - Answers.com
Grades
5 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Begin a research unit with Mission Possible, a downloadable online movie promoting research skills, effective searches, writing skills, citations, and Internet safety. Along with the...more
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Begin a research unit with Mission Possible, a downloadable online movie promoting research skills, effective searches, writing skills, citations, and Internet safety. Along with the video, find an accompanying teacher lesson plan for providing a great start for the introduction of a research project. A student worksheet goes along with the lesson.
tag(s): citations (33), internet safety (118), Research (49), search strategies (24), writing (294)
In the Classroom
Before beginning a research project, either introduce or review the process of researching a topic. Put a link on your class website so students can refer to this video for additional review.
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Teaching Digital Citizenship - Cable Impacts
Grades
4 to 8
5 Favorites
1 Comments
Find ready to use standards-based lessons that teach digital citizenship for grades 4-8. Lesson topics are categorized into two groups (Communication and Collaboration, Digital Citizenship),...more
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Find ready to use standards-based lessons that teach digital citizenship for grades 4-8. Lesson topics are categorized into two groups (Communication and Collaboration, Digital Citizenship), and include Privacy, Media Literacy, Cyberbullying, Copyright, Information Literacy, and more. Integrate these digital citizenship lessons into the content area subjects: ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Most lessons start with a video for the adult and also have a video for the student. Download videos in a variety of formats (mp4, WMV, MOV) or copy the link provided. The Media Literacy lessons have several examples of advertisement videos that use YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. Under Tools and Resources, slide down to Digital Citizenship Survey; scroll down that page to find a professional development webinar that hosts a middle school teacher discussing digital citizenship.
tag(s): copyright (43), cyberbullying (47), digital citizenship (71), media literacy (85), plagiarism (30)
In the Classroom
At the beginning of the year, use the lessons included as a basis for developing a school digital citizenship program or even use with your own class. Use at a parents' informational night to describe the type of lessons that help address responsible digital citizens. Post a link on your class website for parents to view at home. Create a school mission statement regarding technology use or rules for technology. When doing research projects, be sure to review.
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Comments
This is an articulate and smart program. The videos and materials support the three strands of digital citizenship: safety and security; literacy; and ethical and responsible use.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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TeachThought - Teachthought
Grades
1 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
TeachThought stretches teachers to think beyond the norm, and try new exciting ideas such as learning in a digital world, flipped classrooms, project based learning, and simulations....more
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TeachThought stretches teachers to think beyond the norm, and try new exciting ideas such as learning in a digital world, flipped classrooms, project based learning, and simulations. A few examples of the articles include: 10 Team Building Games that Promote Critical Thinking, 25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area, 55 Free Apps For iPads, 249 Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs for Critical Thinking, 14 Brilliant Bloom's Taxonomy Posters For Teachers, and 20 Things You Can Do in 10 Minutes For A Smoother Running Classroom. Join in the conversation, add your opinion, or ask a question. Sign up for TeachThought's newsletter, here , and get articles and information about teaching, learning, Common Core, technology, apps, iPads, culture, and social media.
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tag(s): professional development (217)
In the Classroom
Think beyond your everyday lessons to something that makes you a teacher that kids always remember. Interesting ideas challenge you to do what you want the most in your teaching, inspire and motivate. Subscribe to the newsletter and follow the latest articles. Use the resources for enrichment or information. Share with colleagues and the collaboration begins. Share at a professional development meeting for many relevant ideas.
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Zoom In! - Education Development Center
Grades
5 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Zoom In! is a set of digital tools that support social studies teachers in aligning teaching with the Common Core Literacy Standards. In each lesson, students solve a historical problem...more
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Zoom In! is a set of digital tools that support social studies teachers in aligning teaching with the Common Core Literacy Standards. In each lesson, students solve a historical problem by analyzing and collecting evidence, organizing research, and creating a rough draft communicating the solution. Create your teacher account to begin. Browse through 10 lessons with topics as diverse as propaganda and Paul Revere, Labor on the World War II Homefront, Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, and music in the Vietnam War. Create a class within each lesson to receive a class code for student access. View more information about this resource on their YouTube channel, here. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): american revolution (75), civil war (134), constitution (91), immigrants (27), immigration (65), lincoln (67), slavery (55), vietnam (30), westward expansion (34), world war 2 (137)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lesson plans for use in teaching social studies aligned to Common Core Standards. Even if you cannot use whole lessons, browse through to find resources to add to your current lessons. Create classes and assign different lessons to different groups of students based on ability and interest. After completing a unit, have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Science Explorations - Scholastic
Grades
3 to 10
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Join the American Museum of Natural History and Scholastic to lead your students through a science exploration research project. Begin with ideas from the teacher's guide with the help...more
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Join the American Museum of Natural History and Scholastic to lead your students through a science exploration research project. Begin with ideas from the teacher's guide with the help of a scientist and a well-defined science exploration project. The projects include Animals, Adaptations, and the Galapagos Islands, Investigate the Giant Squid, Uncover Lizards and Snakes, Journey into Space, Soar with Bats, Classify Insects, Mythic Creatures and ten different Science Webquests. Each subject begins with a short documentary style slide show to get your interest, vocabulary, and an interview with a scientist from the American Museum of Natural History. Each of the topics is tiered into different levels so you can differentiate for everyone's needs. Read informational texts from the resource library, a guide to framing science explorations, and a Putting It Together workshop that gives directions for a research presentation. Follow the investigation format to discover a question of interest. Find non-fiction texts, photographs, and videos included. The resource list includes book lists of informational and fictional books. Take part on a message board to join others in your same study.
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tag(s): amphibians (20), animals (300), dna (58), insects (72), myths and legends (26), scientific method (64), scientists (66), space (222), webquests (26)
In the Classroom
Try this one stop shop for teaching nonfiction, research, note taking, finding evidence, and scientific explorations. No need to research, find sources, or steps to guide the process. Just use the variety of multimedia sources here, and students can start now. Teacher resources include interactive whiteboard ready materials along with detailed instructions. Demonstrate the scientific process, note taking, finding evidence, primary and secondary sources, and evaluating credible sources. Students can work individually or in groups depending on your class needs. After students have been through this process, expand their skills to other areas.
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Common Core Conversations - Kristina Holzweiss
Grades
1 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Common Core Conversations is your place to find Common Core resources. The Standards, Resources from state education departments, free resources in all subject areas, using tech tools...more
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Common Core Conversations is your place to find Common Core resources. The Standards, Resources from state education departments, free resources in all subject areas, using tech tools for learning the standards, and a section for parent information provides a great basis for your Common Core needs. Resources include: ESL/ELL, library, careers, family and consumer sciences. Join the online community to join in the conversations.
tag(s): commoncore (86)
In the Classroom
Common Core Conversations provides ideas and resources to assure your lessons contain Common Core Standards necessities. Investigate a resource for yourself every week or to share at your professional growth development. Be sure to document your new ideas under professional growth for your evaluation. When hosting professional growth development, begin here.
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WikiWand - Lior Grossman & Ilan Lewin
Grades
5 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
WikiWand is a browser add-on to enhance the look and use of Wikipedia. Follow links to add the extension to Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Once installed, WikiWand adds an easy ...more
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WikiWand is a browser add-on to enhance the look and use of Wikipedia. Follow links to add the extension to Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Once installed, WikiWand adds an easy to use table of contents to the side of the screen, easier to read typography and a handy preview-on-hover feature. Personalize your screen by changing fonts and size of fonts.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (167), media literacy (85), writing (294)
In the Classroom
Install WikiWand on classroom computers to improve student viewing of Wikipedia. Share on your interactive whiteboard to demonstrate and view features for student use. If you do recommend Wikipedia as a source for research, be sure to have the discussion about its unknown authorship and usefulness as a general information tool but not as a "scholarly" resource. As a challenge to your better writers, consider asking them to write entries that you can submit to this encyclopedia on classroom topics in simpler English. They will have to analyze their own language and writing style with far greater scrutiny than ever before. Or have the class create a two version wiki glossary of your own on curriculum topics in any discipline, using this as a model for the "easy reading" side.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The World Cup of Everything Else - Wall Street Journal
Grades
6 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Discover "how the tournament would play out if 32 countries were competing in things other than soccer." This site compares world countries statistics on scores of topics, instantly...more
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Discover "how the tournament would play out if 32 countries were competing in things other than soccer." This site compares world countries statistics on scores of topics, instantly drawing a "bracket" of the top 32 countries for that statistic around the world. Find out which country "wins" in categories as diverse as milk consumption, population density, or ticket sales for the movie Frozen! Click the topic at left to display the "bracket" instantly. Try predicting who will win as you check out all kinds of topics.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (141), demographics (17), statistics (120)
In the Classroom
This site would fit well in a world cultures/social studies class or even as part of an information literacy lesson. Math teachers can use it to show the usefulness of statistics. World language teachers may want to include it as part of cultural study. Share this site briefly on an interactive whiteboard or projector to spark discussion about what statistics can tell you about a country. Then turn groups loose to predict the outcomes of the "competition" in various categories. Have them keep a record: What do they predict? Why? Were they right? What might be the possible reasons for the "winner" (or loser) in the category they chose? What other statistical competitions would they like to see to gain the best profile of a country? As a class, try to name the top ten most revealing statistics they would like to see that are not already listed here. Then have them look for sources where they might find that information! Extend the findings by having student groups create infographics about their chosen "world cup" topic. Use a tool such as Venngage reviewed here. In a government class, use this site to open discussion about the role of statistics in governing and meeting the needs of your citizens. For more demographics resources, try these or Knoema, a worldwide data source.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mental Floss - Felix Dennis
Grades
6 to 12
5 Favorites
1 Comments
Discover "random, interesting, amazing facts, quizzes, and trivia" at Mental Floss. This magazine-style offering features new posts daily on topics from science, history, culture, and...more
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Discover "random, interesting, amazing facts, quizzes, and trivia" at Mental Floss. This magazine-style offering features new posts daily on topics from science, history, culture, and more. For example, read about 6 Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots! Access the archives via the ALSO ON MENTAL FLOSS links near the bottom of the page for even more offerings. Any reader is guaranteed to learn something new and come away wanting to learn more. Find answers to imponderables or odd thoughts. Sections include Innovations, Words, Lists, and Quizzes with subareas for history, science, pop culture, etc. Click Videos to visit Mental Floss's YouTube channel or related videos. Articles are quick tidbits that invite you to share and learn. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): animals (300), famous people (22), grammar (157), quizzes (82), trivia (18)
In the Classroom
Share Mental Floss on your class web page in any science, history, health, or reading class in middle school and up. Use it as a place for students to discover research topics related to your subject or as prompts for blog posts to get kids writing about something that interests them. Make a regular extra credit offering for students to write a blog post responding to something they learn here. If you have trouble getting students to read informational text, use these factoids as introductions to draw their interest before offering a longer article. Use these articles as starters for information literacy activities. Have partners research to find a corroborating (or debunking) source for the trivia offered here. English teachers will love some of the quick articles on misused or frequently misspelled words. Invite your students in any subject to find an article related to your subject and to create a poster version of that tip or tale using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here).Comments
Awesome for so many topics. Blog post ideas! Love the layout and diversity.Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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US Digital Literacy - US DIgital Literacy
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
US Digital Literacy is a comprehensive informational site to help better deliver digital literacy information to students. Help to prepare your students to understand and use information...more
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US Digital Literacy is a comprehensive informational site to help better deliver digital literacy information to students. Help to prepare your students to understand and use information in multiple formats from a broad range of sources. Students need to be able to read, and interpret media, reproduce data and images, evaluate, and apply new knowledge from digital environments. Learn how to use the tools, promote responsible digital citizenship, while providing a framework to access, analyze, and create new information. Under Digital Toolkits find information about digital citizens, web 2.0, augmented reality, social bookmarks, wikis, images and creative commons, keyboarding practice, and mobile learning communities. For your own use, find professional learning networks, adaptive learning systems, learning management systems, project based learning, and STEM and STEAM. The Twenty-first- Century Skills section gives background in the Common Core, core subjects, learning and innovative skills, information and media literacy, and life and career skills. Instructional Strategies provide information for classroom management, activating strategies, vocabulary strategies, cognitive growth strategies, organizing strategies, summarizing strategies, and assessment types. Information regarding thoughtful technology leadership includes videos to promote conversations and challenges for your school website. Each section includes interesting and informative videos. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): augmented reality (6), professional development (217)
In the Classroom
Become your school's technology guru. Find information to explore, try and share a piece at a time. Easily locate information to lead you to becoming a 21st century educational technology teacher (and leader). Be sure to document your professional growth as part of your yearly teacher evaluation. Present information at staff meetings to promote growth within your school. Explore various sections of this site to share with your class. Sign up for the newsletter to discover the latest information and resources.
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Elementary Science Resource Kit - Tech4Learning
Grades
1 to 8
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Meet Science and Common Core English Language Arts standards using these seven ready-made project plans. Study biomes, the life cycle of a butterfly, the solar system, animals, and...more
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Meet Science and Common Core English Language Arts standards using these seven ready-made project plans. Study biomes, the life cycle of a butterfly, the solar system, animals, and famous inventors. While learning about the famous inventors, also learn the value of scientific thinking! Build thinking skills with the challenging culmination piece. These range from creating riddles to creating brochures and journals. All units include step by step directions, Science Content Standards (NSES), ELA Common Core Anchor Standards, and NETS. In addition, there is a list of resources to use and a suggestion for assessment. You MUST register to view the lessons. To register simply give your name and email, and download all seven of these units for free!
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tag(s): animal homes (66), animals (300), biomes (133), butterflies (13), famous people (22), inventors and inventions (77), life cycles (23), planets (128), scientific method (64), scientists (66), solar system (116)
In the Classroom
Immerse students in hands-on, inquiry projects with these seven plans. Introduce them on your interactive whiteboard or projector and select a class project to complete. Have student groups choose a topic to research. Created for grades 1 to 5, with one for 5-8, any of the plans could be adjusted to fit any of these grade levels. The science kit lesson plans are free, and so are some of the resources they suggest using, such as Pics4Learning, reviewed here. However, the Pixie and Wixie program that the lesson advises using is not free. Instead, use QwikSlides, reviewed here, or RawShorts, reviewed here. Be sure to bookmark these units for future use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Netwars - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Grades
9 to 12
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Immerse yourself in the all-too-real world of cyber warfare through this interactive documentary. While possibly a bit alarmist, this project tells the story of cyber warfare using...more
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Immerse yourself in the all-too-real world of cyber warfare through this interactive documentary. While possibly a bit alarmist, this project tells the story of cyber warfare using several types of media: online video "webdoc," a graphic novel app (device agnostic and free), a fictional eBook/audiobook/paper book, and interview clips from real world experts on cyber security. Unfortunately, the "webdoc" video intro includes an expletive inappropriate for a classroom, so you will want to preview and probably skip the intro if sharing this in a school setting. Check out the Facts section for tips on protecting your own online data and browsing information. Netwars is optimized to work on any device with a modern web browser and an Internet connection. Only the interactive novel has iOS and Android apps
tag(s): internet safety (118)
In the Classroom
Use portions of this site with more mature students to spark discussion about the real (or unreal?) threats of cybersecurity. Every week, news stories about data breaches and hacking proliferate. Include this site as one of many current events topics in a government or civics class where you talk about the issues facing both the executive and legislative branches -- as well as the constitutionality of some proposed solutions. In a research unit in English class, include this as a site to be evaluated. Is this a reliable source? Does it show bias? Is the threat portrayed substantiated with facts or is it designed to scare the audience? Have student groups write and create a web tour using a tool such as Screencast-o-matic, reviewed here, to make an argument about the site and support their points with examples from the site's visual "text." Challenge gifted students to research other evidence supporting or debunking the facts from this site. Since the site is also available in German, world language teacher may want to share it with more advanced German students for language listening and practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sixteen Months to Sumter - American Historical Association
Grades
8 to 12
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Advanced study of history requires increased attention to primary sources. Collected here are over 1,000 newspaper editorials written in the 16 months leading up to the start of the...more
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Advanced study of history requires increased attention to primary sources. Collected here are over 1,000 newspaper editorials written in the 16 months leading up to the start of the US Civil War. Along with a useful timeline of events during the same period, the site offers search either by the location of the publication or by the name of the publication. Editorials come from newspapers across the US, not just from those in states most often associated with the Civil War. The opinion expressed may offer a fresh perspective on what people were thinking just prior to the firing on Ft. Sumter. For example, we might view Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest of American Presidents, but an editorial from the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Daily Patriot and Union concludes with the words, "We confess we shudder as we contemplate the future in the person of this weak and ignorant man." (February 21, 1861).
tag(s): civil war (134), newspapers (93), primary sources (101)
In the Classroom
This is a wonderful resource for adding primary source material to a study of the US Civil War. It is particularly useful for advanced students, or those doing research. Consider choosing a newspaper that is located near you, if possible, and introduce students to a perspective that's close to home. Or choose editorials from two newspapers--one from the North and one from the South--written at the same time and contrast the perspectives expressed. Compare and contrast using an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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