Quick Presentations

Qwiki is a fairly new website that could change the way that we search for information.  It is unlike all other search engines that I have come across.  Qwiki is very different website that lets you type in your search terms and then it will actually take wikipedia entries and photos and turn them into a fairly decent presentation.  It is still in its beta version but I think that with a little more work this can be a very valuable website.  The best part of Qwiki is the ability to type in what you would like to search for and have a pretty good explanation within just a couple of seconds.  It is very easy to use and it will definitely save you some time.  Qwiki now also offers an iPad app that will do the same things as the website but bundled into a nice easy to use application.

Let Google Docs and Flubaroo do the Grading!

Why do all of the grading when Google Docs and Flubaroo can do it for you. If you use Google Docs there is a great new tool that can be added to your Google Docs account, the name may sound funny but what it can do will amaze you.  Flubaroo.com provides a very nice set of instructions on how to use their tool located here.  Once you have the script installed and you have created your form you will just click on the grade assignment and then tell flubaroo what answers you are looking for and it does the rest for you.  Imagine grading 160 assignments in less then two minutes.  Sounds good to me!

Check out the video!

Random Name Generator

I have recently discovered a very cool little tool that will help you randomly choose a students name.  This little tool is very easy to use, all you have to do is copy your students names and then click on the box that says change names and paste your students into the text box.  Now all you have to do is click on the Go! button and it will randomly select a student from the list.  It then gives you three different options to choose from, a two minute or seven minute stopwatch and then my favorite "remove victim from list."  Check it out, it only takes a minute to set up and then you can save your students names to use again and again.

Literacy, Science, and Math Interactives from WickED

http://www.wicked.org.nz/r/wick_ed/interactives/index.php

Here are some great interactives to help with teaching  literacy, science, and math concepts for elementary and middle school students. 

This is a site developed by the New Zealand Ministry of Education so you will see lessons in English and New Zealand's native language, Maori, which threw me at first, but students can learn a little about the culture in New Zealand as they brush up on the literacy and math skills.

For some great math skills practice and problem solving puzzles click on the Matho 1 link.

For earth science activities that explore volcanoes and earthquakes choose the Science link.

For reading activities chose the Literacy link which has spelling games, a newspaper activity, comprehension activities, and online quizzes.








 TIP:
When you first visit the site be on the lookout for a message at the top of your page in the INFO Bar where you will be asked to install a  Shockwave plugin.

Posted by Clare 4/07/11

April is Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month so I thought I'd share some poetry resources. There are so many wonderful sites available to assist with teaching poetry.   Robert Frost says, Poetry starts with a lump in your throat, so if you have ever had a feeling . . . then that qualifies you as a poet!

Begin with a great go-to resource: Scholastic.com. You will find links for poetry lesson ideas from many popular authors like Jack Prelutsky, the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate, Karla Kuskin, and Maya Angelou plus many more.

Some more poetry resources can be found on  the Edutopia  site posted by guest blogger Gail Desler. Here are just a few she mentions:

Visit Edsitement for a collection of classic authors and their poetry along with lessons and supporting websites. 



Visit PBS Poetry is Everywhere for  videos, biographies, and lesson ideas  relating to classic and contemporary poetry.

To write poetry using images visit PicLits

Happy writing!  

posted by Clare 4/04/2011

5 Games to Play in DyKnow Vision

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5 Games to Play in DyKnow Vision

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