iLearn Technology

What it is: Make 5 is a fun interactive tic-tac-toe type game (it actually reminds me of Connect 4) that I learned about this morning on Twitter from @annemarie80.  This game is a great way for students to practice math facts and to recognize relationships between numbers.  Students are given a target number, they choose an equation on the grid that equals the target number.  The goal of the game is to get 5 squares on the grid in a row in the least number of tries.  The game has several play options; students can play the game with one or two players, set up the game to get 5 or 3 in a row, and can play to practice addition, subtraction, or multiplication.

How to integrate Make 5 into the classroom: Make 5 is an excellent little game that students can play to practice math facts.  Use Make 5 as a math center on the classroom computers.  Students can visit the center in groups of two and play the game together.  In the computer lab setting, students can play Make 5 individually.  Make 5 would be a fun whole class game using an interactive whiteboard.  Split the math class into two teams.  Students take turns coming to the board as representatives of their team.  Give teams 30 seconds to plan their move before sending up their representative.  Make sure that every student has the opportunity to be at the board (you may have to play more than once).

Tips: Send this site home to parents, this is a great way for students to practice their math facts at home, too!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Make 5  in your classroom.

English Images

What it is: My English images is a great site that I learned about from @larryferlazzo.  This site was designed for English teachers and English teachers working with ESL and EFL students but it is a great site for any literacy classroom.  The site has images and worksheets that are available for download that can be used to catch student’s attention, spice up lessons, and illustrate difficult language concepts.  My English Images provides pictures that illustrate conversation, grammar, basic English, pronunciation, and vocabulary concepts.  New content is added to the collection monthly.

How to integrate My English Images into the classroom: This site is ideal for the ESL/EFL classroom.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and that is definitely the case with this site.  Students will be able to look at the pictures and understand the language concepts with the help of visuals.  The pictures can be downloaded and used in PowerPoint presentations, interactive whiteboard lessons, and any lesson that you are teaching that would benefit from visuals.  Visuals are the first thing that people associate with a concept.  They help students recall more quickly, and the concepts get stored in permanent memory because students have an easier time making connections with things they already know.  My English Images has some fantastic offline games that can be played with English language learners.  You can download and print rules and a certificate of excellence as students complete the games.  Grammar concepts are often difficult for any student learning them for the first time.  My English Images makes it easier for students to understand how the English language works.  This site should be used in any English speaking/learning literacy classroom!

Tips: Take a little time to explore My English images, it is a treasure trove of resources!  My English Images was created by English language teacher F. Michael Kloran based on what he uses with his students.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using My English Images in your classroom.

What it is: Sign App Now is an amazing, simple way to create online sign up sheets.  This website is SO simple to use, you don’t even have to register to use it!  Create a sign up sheet by filling in the name of the sign up sheet, your email address, and your name.  Sign App Now creates a unique link (URL) that can be emailed to everyone that you would like to sign up.  Those who sign up just enter their name (no need for them to register either).  An email adding them to your sign up sheet is sent back to you.  That is it!

How to integrate Sign App Now into the classroom: Sign App Now is a great way to help you go paperless in your classroom.  Create sign up sheets for field trips, classroom volunteers, and in school duties or committees.  Sign App Now makes it simple to keep track of volunteers.

Tips: I love that Sign App Now requires NO registration from the creator of the sign up sheet and no registration for those who use it to sign up.  It is extremelly quick and easy to use.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Sign App Now in your classroom.

What it is: It’s that time again, FETC is on its way!  If you aren’t able to make it to the conference, you can still attend the conference virtually.  Best of all this online educational event is 100% free!  The conference is coming to you live Thursday, October 22, 2009.  Attend informative virtual sessions from the conference, visit the Virtual Expo Hall and chat with live exhibitors, and preview and evaluate the latest hardware and software available today.  Attend this online event to enjoy: “a dynamic exchange of best practices and tips for success, expert speakers sharing their views in an effective, interactive way, a virtual networking lounge to reconnect with colleagues and make new contacts, real-time access to other participants through instant messaging, technology product and service demonstration in the vitural exhibit hall, free content downloads and presentations to go, and much more!”  You can attend as many sessions as you like when it is convenient for you.  This means no travel expenses, no lines, no scheduling substitutes, no getting funding approved, no emptying your own pockets!

How to integrate Virtual FETC ‘09 into the classroom: While you can’t integrate this conference into your classroom, the virtual conference will provide you access to great speakers who will inspire you with best practices and tips for success.  You will come away from this conference with some great new ideas to implement in your classroom.

Tips: What are you waiting for?  Sign up for the FETC ‘09 Virtual conference today!  See you all there

Leave a comment and tell us if you are attending Virtual FETC ‘09.

What it is: Kideos is a collection of kid friendly videos.  Each video featured on Kideos has been carefully screened by the Kideos Video Advisory Council (made up of a select group of parents and educators).  The videos are categorized by age range (from 2 to 10) and by category.  Categories include Baby Einstein, Barney, Book Characters, Cartoon Characters, Cute Animals, Disney Channel Programs, Disney Movies, Dr. Seuss, Educational Videos, Fairy Tales, Kids, Mickey Mouse and Friends, Muppets, Nursery Rhymes, Sesame Street, Songs, Teletubbies, Trains and Machines, and Wiggles.  If you register with Kideos, you can set it up to only view your own selection of ages and characters.  The videos are streamed from You Tube and placed inside a Kideo player .

How to integrate Kideo into the classroom: Kideo is a great elementary alternative to YouTube.  While Kideo streams YouTube videos, you can be rest assured that your students will not be exposed to inappropriate content.  Because Kideos can be set up for a specific age group and category, it would be simple to create a Kideos channel specifically for your class.  You may choose your students age range and limit videos to educational and book characters only.  Many of the videos would be appropriate in the classroom as an introduction to learning or part of a center activity.

Tips: I am continually amazed when my first grade students come in telling me about a YouTube video they watched (on YouTube).  Suggest Kideos to parents as an alternative to YouTube for their little ones.  Kids will be able to find all of the content they are looking for without any of the inappropriate comments and suggested videos.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Kideos in your classroom.

Couldn’t resist the title I’m starting to collect pictures of classrooms from around the world. If you haven’t shared your classroom yet, send me a picture tweet @ktenkely and I will add it to the collection. I always get such great ideas and inspiration from other teachers, with the start of school I thought it would be fun to see what you all are doing in your classrooms.

@amandacdykes

@bethstill

@bethstill

@cwebbtech

@jennann516

@jennann516

@techfacil

@techfacil

@tonyinosaka

@tonyinosaka

@jamesmaitland

@jamesmaitland

@sciencelabman

@sciencelabman

@sciencelabman also put his classroom into Photosynth for a 3D view

Angela Nix "Technology it's mmm mmm good!"

@edtechtoolkit

@edtechtoolkit

@edtechtoolkit

@edtechtoolkit

@katjewave

I also received pictures via blog post…because there are SO many good pictures/ideas and I couldn’t choose, I am going to direct you to the collections of class pictures.

@bknSimilarity shares classroom pictures here: Broken Similarities

@marynabadenhors shares classroom/school pictures here: Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age and here and here

Traci Blazosky shares her class pictures in the form of a Glog, they are awesome!  Check them out here

Thank you to all who participated and if you haven’t yet…jump on in!

In my last post I requested pictures of everyone’s classroom for the 2009-2010 school year. I’ll be honest, so far only three of you have participated. I know the beginning of the school year is busy so I am going to be patient and wait a few more days. If you want to submit your classroom picture, send it to me via Twitter @ktenkely. To get the ball rolling, here are pictures of my classroom this year:

“Oh the places we will go on the Internet super highway”

Application Tree

Application Tree bulletin board

How to Grow a blog

Use Your Netsmartz!

Internet Safety bulletin board

Giant Keyboard for demonstration

Classroom quote “Intelligence is measured by your desire to learn”

Computer Lab Expectations

I love my lab!!

Okay, now it is your turn!  Share your classroom pics with us

Most of us are getting back into the swing of the new school year. Classroom set up is easy for some of us and a headache for others. I am always amazed at the little things that teachers think to do during classroom setup that helps the school year run smoothly. With this in mind, I vote that we share pictures of our classrooms. Take pictures of your classroom, bulletin boards, and any great organizational methods that you use. Send your pictures to me via Twitter (I am @ktenkely) I will collect all of our pictures and post them back here. Let’s help each other in our setup to make this year the best yet!

What it is: WDCS Life Size Whale is a really neat concept for a website.  The site displays a life size whale on the computer screen, bit-by-bit and helps students gain an understanding of just how BIG a whale is.  In the upper right corner of the screen is the entire whale with a red box showing which portion of the whale students are looking at.

How to integrate WDCS Life Size Whale into the classroom: This site is really best on an interactive whiteboard or projector.  Students can get an up close view of a whale.  Use this site as an introduction to an ocean or whale unit.  Allow students to move around the whale to view the different parts up close and personal.

Tips: Learn more about the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) by clicking on the link in the bottom right hand corner.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using WDC Life Size Whale in your classroom.

What it is: Dr. Arbor Talks Trees focuses on tree anatomy and physiology.  Students will learn some of the basic inner workings of trees, how trees grow and develop, the many uses of trees and their bi-products, and some basic chemical principles.  The website is designed for 6th through 8th grade students (although I think it is appropriate for 4th grade).

How to integrate Dr. Arbor Talks Trees into the classroom: Dr. Arbor is the guide through this interactive website.  Students learn all about trees and their inner workings through a series of activities.  This is a great site to use for Arbor day, but the topic is appropriate year-round as part of the science curriculum.  The website could be used with the whole class on an interactive whiteboard or projector, or navigated by students individually in the computer lab setting.

Tips: There are great free resources on this site, be sure to check them out!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Dr. Arbor Talks Trees in your classroom.