Study Stack Featured 3-16-11

Do you have important vocabulary that your students need to master?  Use this week’s web tool to create electronic flashcards and simple games for memorizing those key terms!

This web tool already has thousands of flashcard sets available on a wide variety of topics, but you can create your own specific sets as well.  The best part, in my opinion, is that your students can use the simple flashcard option to practice vocab, or they can also choose to play games (see the options below) that reinforce the information.  Students can even download the vocabulary and games to their smart phones and practice on the go. 

Voxopop Featured 10-6-10

Have any students who are reluctant to write about how they feel, but could talk your ear off??

Why not capitalize on their love of chatter by using this week’s web tool to help them communicate their thoughts.

This web tool allows you to create talk groups, similar to blogs except that you record voices rather than text.  Students can give opinions, debate topics, add new information, and ask  and answer those Critical Thinking questions from the Critical Thinking Student Tool in a brand new and fun way!

Dipity Featured 10-20-10

I personally love timelines.  They condense information to give a general overview as well as a few tidbits to encourage delving deeper into a topic.  Rather than a Power Point, have your students create timelines to demonstrate their knowledge!

 

This web tool allows you to develop timelines and imbed into them photos, links, videos, related articles, etc.  It really couldn’t be any easier.  There are even how-to videos available to walk you and your class through making a timeline.

There is also a library of timelines already created that could be used in classrooms.  Many current events are chronicled such as the story of the Chilean miners or even the progression of the World Cup last summer.    

Forvo Featured 10-27-11

Correct pronunciation of certain words is a highly disputed topic.  It becomes even more complicated when dealing with unfamiliar languages.  If you and your students come across any difficult words to pronounce, let the contributors of this week’s web tool settle the debate.

This web tool provides pronunciations of thousands of words in hundreds of languages.  It is a compilation of recordings by native speakers from different regions of the world.  Have a debate in your class and choose the pronunciations you all think are best!  Students could even contribute their own pronunciations to the site to give representation to our part of the country.

Magnetic Poetry Featured 3-2-11

Everyone loves to play with the magnetic poetry boards! 

Now have the same fun electronically!

This web tool allows you and your students to create poetry and stories using words provided in one of four kits.  No longer can kids say they can’t think of anything to write!

Wisemapping Featured 2-23-11

Rather than print out all their resources, have your students make an online linkable mind map!

This web tool allows you and your students to make simple mind maps where they can organize their research and link their websites in one location. 

This is an excellent tool for brainstorming and gathering data.  It can even be used collaboratively with other students!

Just think of all the paper we can save!

KY Virtual Library Featured 12-2010

The KY Virtual Library is an invaluable tool for finding articles and primary sources for use in your classroom, but with so much to offer it can be a little intimidating to use. So, for the next few weeks I will be going through different aspects of the site to show you the different features.

Step One:  Choose “Middle School Students” under the “Students” heading on the left side of the KYVL homepage, and the following screen should appear.

#1

 

After clicking on this icon, enter your topic in the search box at the top.  Then, the best part of the Student Research Center is that by scrolling down you can limit your search with the option to choose the reading level of the articles! 

“Lexile Reading Level” is a scale similar to AR that determines the difficulty of a piece of writing.  By highlighting “850-1100 (Grade 6 to Grade 8)” you eliminate the articles that may be too technical for your students. 

Don’t forget to check the “Full Text” box before scrolling back up and clicking “Search.”

 

#2

NoveList is an excellent place to start if you are looking for a novel to use in class that meets curriculum content.  There is a how-to video on the right-hand side of the home screen that introduces the program and gives a great overview of the features.  Take a moment and check it out!

#3

Kids Search is a Visual Search Engine for finding articles, etc.  However, this tool is unique in that it features a Dictionary, an Encyclopedia, and an Images Search Engine.   This would be a great place to have the students start the research process.

#4

The Grolier Online Passport provides access to 4 different online encyclopedias:  Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, The New Book of Knowledge, and Amazing Animals of the World. 

You can search all four encyclopedias at the same time or use them individually.

I found the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia to be especially interesting.  It features an events calendar that provides reasons for celebrating every day with articles and lesson plans.  There is also a searchable timeline.  If you are looking for literature for classroom use, exploring this site will be time well-spent.

#5

ProQuest is very similar to EBSCO Host in that it is a searchable database for articles.  The range of magazines, journals, and periodicals available is quite impressive!  And, I found this program easier to use than EBSCO Host.

#6

 

WorldCat connects you to library collections throughout the country and makes suggestions for books, articles, sound recordings, internet resources, images, and maps.

Use this resource when searching for library-approved internet resources on different topics.  Simply search for your topic and click the Internet tab!

If you need any assistance finding articles for use in your curriculum please don’t hesitate to ask!  I would be more than happy to help you research!

One last thing…  KY Virtual Library works automatically while on the school server, but at home you have to use a password.

Please contact the public library for this information.  (684-0211)

Piclits Featured 1-5-11

Help your kids summarize their thoughts on an issue and display it through a visual image with this week’s web tool.

Choose a picture from their library of inspirational photos, then, write your own caption.

Use them to talk about different types of literature like advertising and inspirational writing.

I made this silly one!  J

Storybird Featured 1-19-11

 

With this web tool, students choose pictures from pre-made art libraries and add text to create a story.  The extra feature of this program is that students can collaborate with others in creating their stories through email invitations. 

Imagine collaboration with other classes or even with other schools in creating stories. 

Teachers can stay informed of progress by using the Parent features. 

Take a minute and check out the introductory video!

Google Tools Featured 1-26-11

Where is the first place most of us go when we want to find info on the internet?  Google.com of course!  Check out these tips that you can pass on to students for how to improve your searches.

These printable posters give search tips for using Google

http://www.google.com/educators/posters.html

This link showcases some of the quick features that Google has to offer.

http://www.google.com/help/features.html