Happy Tech Tuesday everyone! I hope the school days are treating you well. I want to give a shout out to the Varsity Boys Football team from South. After 8 long years, they finally beat North. Congrats to them and the North team for playing such a great game.
I have a handful of goodies this week I found on my Google reader that I can't wait to share with you. Take a look around and see how you might be able to incorporate them into your class.
Rocks and Minerals
Here is a great blog I found that has collected a bunch of different Rocks and Minerals sites for students. Some are very interactive and would be great on our Smartboards. They range from Elementary school through Junior High. Some of these would be a great way to introduce a unit on Rocks and Minerals or provide a review for a lesson already covered. Thanks to InTec InSights for putting together this collection.
Disney's Planet Challenge
According to their website, "Disney’s Planet Challenge (DPC) is a project-based learning environmental competition for classrooms across the United States. DPC teaches kids about science and conservation while empowering them to make a positive impact on their communities and planet."
"Beginning this year, DPC will offer two tracks of competition: the Elementary School track (Grades 3-5) and the BRAND NEW Middle School track (Grades 6-8)!"
Registration Deadline Friday, December 17, 2010
Project Submission Deadline Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Winners Announcement The Second Week of April, 2011
Winners Celebration May, 2011
I think this would be a great way to include classes in a very fun and important project that can have a positive impact on them and the environment. Take a look at this project and I really hope some of you bring this to your class.
Pay Attention
The video is a little long, but it brings up an interesting point regarding cell phones in the classroom and the overall use of technology in the classroom. This is some really good food for thought and we continue to battle students and cell phone use. Maybe it's time to rethink our policy regarding cell phones.
What is the difference between social media and social networking?
Here is a great post by Jason T Bedell about social media and social networking. His blog has tons of great information for teachers interested in integrating technology into their class. Take a minute and see what he has to say.
Lastly, if any of you have taken and used some of the items I have shared on this blog, I would love to hear from you. Please send me an email and I would love to talk to you.
As always, give it a try.
- Nick Provenzano
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tech Tuesday 9/21 :-)
Happy Tech Tuesday everyone! I'm here once again to bring some great tech tips for you to use for yourself or to share with your students. We are heavy on the Smartboard info today, so see if there are any new ways that you can use your Smartboard in class this week.
Comparison Shoot Out by Fuel the Brain
Give it a try!
- Nick Provenzano
Comparison Shoot Out by Fuel the Brain
This is a fun little game that would be great on the Smartboard. It helps kids work out their Math skills in a fun and interactive way. There are three different levels of difficulty with the third level shown above. This could be used as a review for a unit or just some learning fun. It's worth checking out and using in class. I payed with it for a few minutes and refreshed my fraction knowledge.
More Smartboard fun! Take a look at all of the different activities that Scholastic has put together for Interactive Whiteboards. They have lessons for Language Arts, Social Studies and Science and Math. Scholastic always has wonderful lessons and it is great to see that they are expanding their work to include IWBs. Take a look at what they have put together and how you might use the different lessons in your classroom.
Another great collection of interactive games for students ranging from age 3 to age 14. The site focuses on Math and English and the games would work great on the Smartboard. This is a British site, but the games are fun and easy to use. This is another great example of a site using the power of IWBs to create engaging lessons and games that can help students learn while interacting with the content. Teachers are always saying that they want to use their Smartboard for more than just taking notes or showing movies. This is another site that can help change the way you run your class. Instead of using handouts, use the Smartboard with this site and have the class show you what they have learned.
Lastly, here is a collection of free stock images for teachers and students to use. This collections is being shared with us by Thomas Boito from his blog, EDge21. Sometimes it can be tough to find the right picture to use for a lecture or presentation as we follow strict copyright laws. This collection can make that picture hunt easier for you and your students. Flip through the pages of the Livebinder and see if there are any pictures you or your students could use.
Give it a try!
- Nick Provenzano
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tech Tuesday for 9/14
I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Here are some great ideas and tech tools for your considerations.
Learning to Blog Using Paper
This is a great project for younger students if you are considering blogging in your class. By using regular sheets of paper, students learn how to "post" items and "comment" on blogs. It's a very fun and simple idea that the kids will love. I think it is very important to start thinking about blogging in the younger grades because they will need to know how to do this as they get older. Teaching them how to do it know, will save them stress later on. Thanks to McTeach for sharing.
10 Great Ways to Use Your Document Camera
Here is another great post from Mr. Zimmer. He has some interesting ideas for using the Document Camera in the classroom. The one that stood out to me was turning the head of the camera towards the class and using it as a recorder for presentations. Great idea! Look at some of the other ideas he has on his blog.
Braingle
A cool site passed along by Mr. Zimmer that provides various brain teasers, riddles and logic puzzles. This could be a really fun way to start or end a class. There are many different categories to choose from and different levels of difficulty. This site is worth a look if you think your students would be up for a challenge.
Voki
Voki is a fun site that allows the user to create a talking cartoon person. You can choose from historical figures or crazy combinations on looks. You can record your own voice or have the computer speak for you with text you created. This could be something fun and different to add to a site or have students create for their presentations. Additional Instructions and Project Ideas: http://cybraryman.com/voki.html
Project PLN
One last plug for the online magazine I created with my friend Kelly. Our goal is to bring some of the best blog posts and ideas on a selected topic to as many teachers as possible. We have had over 4,500 hits so far and I really think it is worth your time if you have not read it yet. This issue is all about Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and how much individual teachers have benefited from them. Take a second and read a few articles. You just might be inspired to start your own PLN.
That's it for this week. If you are ever looking for anything specific, feel free to leave a comment on the blog or send me an email.
- Give it a try!
Learning to Blog Using Paper
This is a great project for younger students if you are considering blogging in your class. By using regular sheets of paper, students learn how to "post" items and "comment" on blogs. It's a very fun and simple idea that the kids will love. I think it is very important to start thinking about blogging in the younger grades because they will need to know how to do this as they get older. Teaching them how to do it know, will save them stress later on. Thanks to McTeach for sharing.
10 Great Ways to Use Your Document Camera
Here is another great post from Mr. Zimmer. He has some interesting ideas for using the Document Camera in the classroom. The one that stood out to me was turning the head of the camera towards the class and using it as a recorder for presentations. Great idea! Look at some of the other ideas he has on his blog.
Braingle
A cool site passed along by Mr. Zimmer that provides various brain teasers, riddles and logic puzzles. This could be a really fun way to start or end a class. There are many different categories to choose from and different levels of difficulty. This site is worth a look if you think your students would be up for a challenge.
Voki
Voki is a fun site that allows the user to create a talking cartoon person. You can choose from historical figures or crazy combinations on looks. You can record your own voice or have the computer speak for you with text you created. This could be something fun and different to add to a site or have students create for their presentations. Additional Instructions and Project Ideas: http://cybraryman.com/voki.html
Project PLN
One last plug for the online magazine I created with my friend Kelly. Our goal is to bring some of the best blog posts and ideas on a selected topic to as many teachers as possible. We have had over 4,500 hits so far and I really think it is worth your time if you have not read it yet. This issue is all about Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and how much individual teachers have benefited from them. Take a second and read a few articles. You just might be inspired to start your own PLN.
- Give it a try!
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