Virtual Author Series

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What it is: Simon and Schuster Publishing is offering a new unique experience to schools, a virtual author series. The electronic author visit brings bestselling and award-winning authors and makes them easily accessible to students and teachers. S&S creates a website specifically for each author visit that provides teachers with background information that will help prepare students for the author visit and provides interactive material that relates to the subject discussed in the author’s book. The program also includes a series of classroom activities and curriculum binders. The live web broadcast is the culmination of the virtual author experience. The 45 minute segment will include a presentation from the author, a reading from the book, and a question and answer session in which the author answers questions from the students.

How to integrate Virtual Author Series into the classroom: Bring popular author Andrew Clements (Frindle) into your classroom by signing up at the My Visit website http://www.bsu.edu/myvisit/ You need to sign up your class ASAP if you would like to participate in the first in the Virtual Author Series which takes place on March 18th. This is an outstanding opportunity for classrooms, libraries, and schools. Bring reading to life for your students with a virtual author visit. If you, like me, are on spring break during the first author in the Virtual Author Series be sure to check back for future Virtual Author events.

Tips: Check back for future Virtual Authors. The next Virtual Author will be D.J. MacHale (PENDRAGON) on April 29, 2008. This is an awesome way to bridge literacy and technology!

Please leave a comment and tell us how the Virtual Author Series went in your class. Specifically, I want to hear all about it since I won’t be able to participate!

Hooray!

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If you tried iLearn Technology earlier you found that I was not here…after some minor technical difficulty I am back! I was going into blog withdrawal. Glad to be back, will be posting a new idea later this afternoon when I can grab a few minutes. Thank you to all of those who emailed to let me know how much you missed me 🙂 I am feeling very loved today!

Math Magician

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What it is: After playing against other students on the World Math Day site my students were asking where else they could play similar games when World Math Day was over (students asking to play math games…gotta love that!) I did a basic Google search to see if I could find something similar and came across Math Magician. My students loved racing against the clock on this very basic math fact site. The students can choose from two levels and choose to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication or a mix. They had a great time racing against each other in class to see who could finish each set of facts the fastest. This is a good basic site to practice those math facts.

How to integrate Math Magician into your curriculum: Math Magician can be set up as a math practice center in the one or two classroom or played individually in the computer lab setting. We set up a Math Olympics where the students had some practice time and then raced against each other for the gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Tips: Let parents know about the Math Magician site, they are always eager for an alternative to practicing with the traditional flash cards!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Math Magician in your classroom.

Cyber Smart

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What it is: Cyber Smart is free technology curriculum for use in a technology classroom or as part of the regular classroom curriculum. The SMART in Cyber Smart stands for Safety and security, Manners bullying and ethics, Advertising and policy, Research and information fluency, and Technology. The curriculum is very complete and easy to follow. Best of all it is completely FREE! In addition to the comprehensive curriculum, Cyber Smart also offers a free tool bar (seriously handy) as well as professional development.

How to integrate Cyber Smart into your curriculum: The Cyber Smart curriculum is perfect for the technology classroom, media center, and even your regular classroom as part of other subjects such as character education or when teaching research.

Tips: Make sure the sites recommended by the Cyber Smart curriculum work in your classroom before working it into your day…some of the sites get blocked by filters.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Cyber Smart in your classroom.

Panwapa

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What it is: Panwapa was created by the educational experts also involved in Sesame Street to help children in kindergarten through second grade to be responsible global citizens. Panwapa works around some basic goals 1. To create awareness of the wider world, 2. Appreciating similarities and valuing differences among people of the world, 3. Taking responsibility for one’s behaviors, and 4. Community participating and willingness to take action both locally and globally. On the Panwapa website students can play hide and go seek in four languages, watch videos about other kids around the world, join the Panwapa world and learn about different countries create there own Panwapa kids and Panwapa home, and watch or download videos.

How to integrate Panwapa into your curriculum: Panwapa is a fun interactive resource for the k-2 classroom. Use it to introduce your students to the world through the videos following kids around the world. The Panwapa site is also ideal for the foreign language classroom. Students can play hide and go seek in Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, or Arabic. Use this site as an extension of your social studies curriculum, it will make it a much richer experience for your students.

Tips: Panwapa has lesson plans coming soon to the website. Be sure to check the caregiver section often for these free lesson plans!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Panwapa in your classroom.

Adrian Bruce

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What it is: Adrian Bruce is an educator in Australia who has provided educators around the world with absolutely amazing FREE resources. I am floored that Adrian offers these downloads for free, they are truly incredible! On Adrian’s website you can find reading and phonics games to print and play, math games to print and play, printable puzzles to play, posters, art, science, readers theater scripts, writing ideas, and so much more. You will happily spend hours exploring this site. Put your checkbook away and get your printer fired up and ready for a workout!

How to integrate Adrian Bruce into your curriculum: Use Adrian Bruce games every day to make learning fun! Use these print out games as a center activity, as an activity that can be done when students finish work early, and for learning extensions or practice every day. Choose a game day where students can play games that reinforce skills learned throughout the week. I cannot sing the praises of this site enough! All games come complete with instructions and can be printed out from Word or Adobe Acrobat.

Tips: Send Adrian a big THANK YOU for this resource. Feel free to show Adrian your appreciation by buying him a beer 🙂 or donate a book through Amazon. 

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Adrian Bruce Games in your classroom.


Colorado Podcast Summit Revisted

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As promised the Colorado Podcast Summit that I participated in is now online. Be sure to listen to the Keynote speakers podcasts for truly inspiring ways to use podcasting in your classroom. If you are looking for my poster session, you can find it under the Poster Session section. Make sure to check out the Resources page where you can find downloads for podcating story boards, rubrics, research, copy right information, and more. You can get to the Colorado Podcast Summit online here: http://www2.bvsd.org/ipodsummit/Pages/default.aspx

PalBee

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What it is: PalBee is a free online video conferencing/recording tool. When you become a registered member of PalBee you have the ability to create an unlimited number of video conferencing sessions, each can be an hour long, with up to 5 attendees. PalBee also allows for visual collaboration on the online whiteboard. The Whiteboard allows you to upload images and write or draw on top of it.

How to integrate PalBee into your curriculum: PalBee could be useful in the classroom in several different ways. The first is for its intended purpose, video conferencing. If you have a pen pal or buddy classroom, set up times throughout the year for your students to video conference. All that you need is a web cam and Internet connection. Your students will really enjoy conferencing with students in another state or across the world. After you have conferenced with your buddy classroom, consider collaborating on a project together. PalBee provides a great workspace for students to share ideas. PalBee can also be used as a place to record tutorials for your students. You can individualize instruction and record several lessons that can be saved by PalBee and used from year to year. If you have students who are having trouble reading, extend their learning day and “go home” with them using PalBee. A struggle in many schools is getting parents to read with or help their child study at home. If a parent isn’t available or doesn’t make it a priority, students can get onto your saved PalBee recordings and learn with you at their own pace. This may have the added benefit of modeling reading and studying to parents. Have a parent who can’t make a parent teacher conference? Set up a PalBee meeting with them that better fits into the schedule.

Tips: Set up a classroom account for PalBee where all of your recordings can be saved for quick access.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using PalBee in your classroom.


Time for Kids

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What it is: Time for Kids is an outstanding current events magazine for kids but did you know they also have a great website? On www.timeforkids.com students can read current events, play games, and get homework help. Games are all current events based and fun to play. Homework helper provides students with rapid research help, writing help, and facts from around the world. The teacher section of the site is amazing. You can find worksheets, mini lessons, and graphic organizers. They are separated by grade and subject making the site very easy to navigate.

How to integrate Time for Kids into your curriculum: Use Time for Kids to teach students current events in a fun, different way. The games on the Time for Kids site will motivate students to dig deeper into current events. Use the worksheets, awesome mini lessons, and graphic organizers in conjunction with the site. If you already subscribe to the Time for Kids magazine, this is the perfect extension for students.

Tips: Do not miss the teacher portion of this website! These resources are unbelievable and best of all…free!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Time for Kids in your classroom.

World Math Day

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What it is: March 5, 2008 (yes that is this Wed.) is World Math Day. Don’t feel bad if you missed this important date, I did to until my e-friend Kim Johnson tipped me off to it. (Thank you Kim!) World Math Day even has a dedicated site. The site is preparing for a celebration of numbers as children from around the world unite to set a world record in answering mental arithmetic questions. It is appropriate for all age and ability levels. More than 20,000 schools from around the world will be participating…make sure that yours is one of them! Register your school now for free.

How to integrate World Math Day into your curriculum: If you have access to a computer lab this is the day to take advantage! If not, set up your classroom computers to World Math Day so that students can participate throughout the day. Students will take part in a real time battle of speed and skill using the live Mathematics game engine. Students can participate from school or home. This would make for some fun math homework 🙂

Tips: Register now and be sure to participate on March 5th.

Please leave a comment and share how World Math Day worked in your classroom!