What is VoiceThread?

http://www.voicethread.com/

Using VoiceThread with Poetry

Using VoiceThread in Math

http://www.voicethread.com/

Get ready for the New Year – join an Edmodo webinar this month

Get ready for the New Year – join an Edmodo webinar this month: "

Please join us for an upcoming webinar. We will cover everything you need to get started using Edmodo in the classroom

• Refresh your skills on Edmodo for the classroom


• Learn to leverage Edmodo for professional development


• Check out new features for teachers, schools and districts


• Hear exciting news of what’s to come!

In the coming weeks, we’ll be adding new topics to the webinar schedule, so check back often for an updated calendar of school year webinars and special events.

Introduction to Edmodo

(Every Tuesday at 4pm EST and Thursday at 6pm EST)

Tuesdays, 4:oo PM – 5:00PM EST

November 30, 2010

December 7, 2010

December 14, 2010

December 21, 2010

Thursdays, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST

December 2, 2010

December 9, 2010

December 16, 2010

To schedule a customized webinar for your school or district, please contact Ben Wilkoff, Online Community Manager at Ben@edmodo.com.

"

Web 2.0 Tools in the Elementary Classroom

Kelly Hines presented at the K12 Conference on December 7, 2009.  Her video demonstrates how to use web 2.0 tools such as Wallwisher, Wordle, Comic Creator, and Edmodo in the classroom to actively engage students.  I have been introduced to each of these tools in class.  This presentation takes it one step further by seeing how she has incorporated into her 4th grade classroom curriculum.    All of these websites  are available to use with students without requiring students to have an email address.She provides specific ideas how to incorporate each of these tools into the classroom, and also how you can integrate several tools at once.    She also shows you how to connect with her and other educators in Edmodo if you have any questions.  I am very excited about exploring some of the options that she has shown with Edmodo.   You can access Wallwisher- http://www.wallwisher.com/  Wordle-http://www.wordle.net/ ,  Comic Creator - http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/   and Edmodo http://www.edmodo.com/ to get started incorporating these web 2.0 tools right away!

A Wordle of Tricks and Ideas: 101 Ways to Use Word Clouds

A Wordle of Tricks and Ideas: 101 Ways to Use Word Clouds: "There were quite a lot of questions regarding the use and creation of word clouds in my talk at TEA 2010, so, as promised, I'll try to divulge some tricks, and suggest more ideas on how to use these clouds with your students. If you use any of these ideas,...(read more)"

Free Teacher accounts can be created at SumDog a great site for...

Free Teacher accounts can be created at SumDog a great site for...: "Free Teacher accounts can be created at SumDog a great site for math games designed to improve numeracy. Once your account is set up you can then create accounts for your students with avatars, logins and passwords. This enables you and your students...(read more)"

Free assessment and grading resources from Rick Wormeli

Free assessment and grading resources from Rick Wormeli: "

Looking for support in improving assessment and grading in your school or classroom? Rick Wormeli has created a collection of resources that teachers, administrators, parents, and policymakers can use to tap into the principles and strategies in his best-selling book Fair Isn’t Always Equal.

The free collection, hosted by Stenhouse, features two extensive chapter-by-chapter study guides for Fair Isn’t Always Equal. One is for book study facilitators and includes tips on how to handle difficult conversations about controversial topics; the other is for teachers to use independently or in small groups.

You’ll also find videos and articles in which Rick addresses key issues such as late work and collaborating with faculty members who have different views about assessment and grading. Presently there are three videos:

• “Affecting Change” offers advice for leaders on managing change with their staff.


• In “Standards-Based Grading” Rick argues against the practice of assigning a zero as the lowest F on a hundred-point scale.


• “On Late Work” explains why assigning a failing grade for a missed deadline is not the most constructive way of helping students improve their work habits.

More videos, articles, and podcasts will be added in the coming weeks.

Finally, a Q&A section shares real questions about assessment and grading that Rick has received from educators all over the world, along with his responses.

Start exploring the collection here.

"

Resources for Teaching & Learning About Thanksgiving

Resources for Teaching & Learning About Thanksgiving: "Thanksgiving, in the US, is less than a week away. If you have school next week and you are looking for some resources for teaching and learning about Thanksgiving, I have some things for you.

Where Does Thanksgiving Grow? is a neat data set produced by Linda Zellmer at Western Illinois State University. The data sets contain information about where the main ingredients in Thanksgiving meal come from. The data sets are displayed on maps showing you which states produce the most and least of each ingredient. For example, click on the turkey production data set and you will see that in 2007 Minnesota and North Carolina were the leading producers of turkeys. You can access the data sets individually or as a comprehensive PDF poster.

If you're looking for a writing activity to do with the students in advance of Thanksgiving, National Geographic Kids offers a Mad Libs-like story writing activity. Funny Fill-In generates a funny Thanksgiving story based on the words that kids write in response to Thanksgiving prompts.

James Hollis at Teachers Love SMART Boards has developed an excellent list of Thanksgiving lessons that can be done using a SMART Board or other interactive whiteboard.

ABC Teach has numerous free lesson plans, coloring pages, and offline games that are designed for elementary school use.





History.com has a dozen videos related to the origins and history of Thanksgiving as well as video about current Thanksgiving traditions. Below I've embedded History of Thanksgiving, but I also recommend watching Mayflower Deconstructed.

Last, but certainly not least, Larry Ferlazzo has an extensive list of Thanksgiving lesson resources. In general, if there is a holiday in the US, Larry has a list for it.

"

neoK12 offers videos, lessons, interactive diagrams, games,...

neoK12 offers videos, lessons, interactive diagrams, games,...: "neoK12 offers videos, lessons, interactive diagrams, games, puzzles and quizzes for grades K-12. They feature an extensive science (videos, interactives, games,quizzes etc.) collection where I believe it would be hard not to find something for your next...(read more)"

Interesting View on Math and Computers

Voki

What are your thoughts about Voki?  Would you use this in the classroom?
http://www.voki.com/

Thanksgiving: Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trip

Thanksgiving: Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trip: "

What it is: Scholastic has a wonderful site and interactive for students to investigate the first Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, November 16th (2010), your class can participate in a Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trip. In this 30 minute online field trip your students will get to meet a Pilgrim and a Wampanoag—straight from Plimoth Plantation. This Virtual Field Trip brings the Plimoth Plantation Museum to your students. This is sure to be a fun trip where your students can experience the first Thanksgiving in a new way. In addition to the field trip, your students will receive “letters” (emails) from the Pilgrims and Wampanoags making the experience even more memorable. The site has the original interactive activities for your students to explore before or after the field trip. Download the free classroom guide and sign up today!

How to integrate Thanksgiving: Plimoth Plantation Virtual Filed Trip to your curriculum: This virtual field trip is a fun way for your students to “experience” the first Thanksgiving. Students will begin to understand what life was like for the Pilgrims and Wampanoags that first Thanksgiving and hear first hand what struggles they faced. The virtual field trip brings the actors from the Plimoth Museum into your classroom. Watch the field trip from your classroom using an interactive whiteboard or projector-connected computer or bring several classes together in a larger space like the library. After the field trip, set up classroom computers with the rest of the Scholastic Thanksgiving activities. Here students can explore the Mayflower, learn about daily life of the pilgrims and the Wampanoags, and check out the first Thanksgiving feast. Scholastic provides a wonderful teaching guide that will help you use this site to its fullest.

Tips: Here are some of my other tried and true favorite sites for Thanksgiving:

Black Dog’s Thanksgiving fun and games

Scholastic’s First Thanksgiving

Investigating the First Thanksgiving

Free Rice and see how we used it as a Thanksgiving activity here

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Thanksgiving: Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trip in your classroom!

"

Top 10 Sites for Creating Quizzes

Top 10 Sites for Creating Quizzes: "There are an abundance of online tools that allows teachers to create tests & quizzes in a few simple steps. Technology has changed the way in which students are being assessed and graded. That being said, I have decided to list my favorite sites for...(read more)"

Would you like to create a blog?

If you would be interested in creating a blog for your class, I would be happy to help! You can place links to sites that you are working on in class. Students would be able to access them at home. You could also post videos, book discussions, and many more things on the blog. I created a blog with my class and they love it! Take a look at our classroom blog!  We are just getting started.  I am hoping to use this blog more often in my class throughout the year.
http://www.powell4thgrade.blogspot.com/

13 Time-Saving Teacher Sites

13 Time-Saving Teacher Sites: "I know some teachers are doing great things with technology, but I just don’t have the time to figure out what stuff to try! If this sounds like you, don’t worry! These 13 time-saving sites will save time organizing, preparing for lessons and projects,...(read more)"

Create Word Clouds!!

Create Word Clouds!!: "Hello!Today I will introduce you other useful websites.Thanks to these websites, you will be able to make colourful wordclouds Here is the first adress. http://www.wordle.net/ Wordle is very popular . and this one is another website that you can use to...(read more)"

Ten Marks and other Online Math Resources

Ten Marks and other Online Math Resources: "Here is a new online math tutoring service designed to supplement classroom instruction. Teachers can sign up for this free resource,assign math practice problems to students, and track their progress. If a student gets stuck on a problem he or she can...(read more)"

My Nominees For The 2010 Edublog Awards

My Nominees For The 2010 Edublog Awards: "The Edublog Awards are a great place to learn about education-related blogs. You can see all the previous nominees and winners here.
Here are my nominations for this year’s awards (The url address is visible because it makes things easier for the Awards’...(read more)"

9 Great Websites for Creating Comics in the ClassroomThese are...

9 Great Websites for Creating Comics in the Classroom
These are...: "9 Great Websites for Creating Comics in the Classroom These are the comic-creators that I recommend for student use. They all have different features so I have highlighted some of the features to help you choose one that suits your students needs. All...(read more)"

Welcome!

I hope this blog will stimulate and generate a professional learning community at DRE! We have such a wonderful staff that is filled with amazing ideas. This blog can be a great tool to share our ideas and knowledge. Have a great idea? SHARE IT!!! Found a great website? POST IT! Need help? Just ask! We can all comment and generate discussions on this page. I know we are all pressed for time.. let's work together and have fun! We can accomplish more when we work together!