Sharendipity

What it is: Sharendipity is an excellent online tool that lets you easily create your own learning and educational game.  You can do this by using one of the Sharendipity ready-made templates, or you can create a game from scratch.  There just isn’t always a quality game for students to practice with when you need one.  I know I have found myself wishing that I could find a game focusing on the exact phonic skill or a game that used the vocabulary that we were working on in class.  Often those tailor-made games just don’t exist.  Sharendipity is the answer, making it simple to create your own custom games.  Games are a fun way for students to practice a new skill and they make a great quick center activity on classroom computers.

How to integrate Sharendipity into your curriculum: Create games that are tailored to your students learning needs.  Sharendipity makes it easy enough to create fun games, you can create one in the time it would take you to make copies of worksheets.   Use one of the ready-made templates for the easiest game creation, or if you are feeling brave, start from scratch and make your own.  You can upload all of your own images to Sharendipity making customization really easy.  Consider using pictures of your class, school, or students as the background of a game.  Your students are sure to love seeing familiar faces or landmarks as part of the game.  These games are great for fact practice and recall in math, vocabulary, spelling, phonics, or geography where quick recall of the basics is key.  Sharendipity will walk you through each step of the game making process and when you are finished, you can share the url or embed the game in a class website.  If your students are a little older, they can make their own Sharendipity games to practice with.  Students can create games for their classmates to play as a way to study.  I have students who were constantly creating games and practice activities for my classroom; they got really good at it!  If you are teaching in a computer lab, Sharendipity is a fun way for students to create “original” content for their wiki, blog, or website.  At my school, we buddy up older grade level students with younger grade level students.  It was fun for the older kids to create special games for their buddies after learning about their buddies favorite things.  For example, one student found out that their buddy loved basketball and created a basketball themed spelling activity for them.

If you collaborate with another class or another school, it would be neat to swap customized games with them.

Tips: If you are braving creating your own game, be sure to check out Sherendipity’s learning center for a great guide on how to use the tools.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Sharendipity in your classroom!

Storybook Web

What it is: Storybook Web is “based on popular children’s stories by authors Scoular Anderson, Debi Gliori, Mairi Hedderwick and Frank Rodgers.”  There are a number of fun activities on this site including the ability to listen to the author’s reading excerpts from their stories and answering questions about how they came up with ideas for writing.  Students can choose from one of eight stories, each story has a related game, word bank activity, and videos/audio for reading the story and interacting with the author.

How to integrate Storybook Web into your curriculum: Storybook Web is a fun way for students to interact with stories, making connections to the authors of the stories and the themes that they are reading about.  This site helps students think like an author.  It gives them an inside look at how authors think about writing.  Use this site as an introduction to a writing activity.  Students can watch the author videos and get an inside look at the process that a writer goes through.  This can be done using a projector connected computer or interactive whiteboard.  Storybook Web would also make a nice addition to a writing center on classroom computers.  When I taught second grade, I set up an “editing and publishing” center on my classroom computers.  Here I gave students access to an online dictionary, thesaurus, word processor/publishing program, and Read Write ThinkStorybook Web would be an excellent addition to a writing center.  Students can go to be inspired, encouraged in the writing process, and given a place to practice their own writing.  I like the word bank on Storybook Web, word choice is hard for beginning writers.  By interacting with the word bank activity on Storybook Web, students will begin to think about their own word choice.  You may want students to go through their own writing and pick out words that they would add to their word bank.  I have found that activities like this make students think about the words they are using.  Often, students will self-edit and find richer vocabulary to use in their writing.

Tips: This is an easy website for emergent readers and writers to navigate.  Students can choose to have the site narrated for them or they can turn the audio off and read on their own.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Storybook Web in your classroom!

Trick.ly

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What it is: There are several url shortening tools out there that let you shrink down a cumbersome url into something more manageable for sharing.  Trick.ly is a url shortener with an added feature: it can be password protected.  When you share the url, you can add a clue and a password that has to be used in order for the shared website to be accessed.  You may be wondering why you would want to password protect a url in the classroom, I’m glad you asked… 

How to integrate Trick.ly into the classroom: I am constantly sharing shortened url’s with my students, it makes it easy to get all my students to the same website quickly.  Trick.ly adds the ability to password protect the url.  This could add a layer of learning and fun to accessing websites in the classroom.  Give your students a Trick.ly shortened url with a secret clue that helps students “unlock” the website. For example, if you are using National Geographic Maps website with your students, don’t just send them to the website, give them a clue that is related to the website such as “Capital of Colorado”.  Students have to correctly solve the puzzle to unlock access to the game.  The password “Denver” would provide students with access to the website.  Create Trick.ly shortened url’s with math, geography, history, spelling, vocabulary, science, or foreign language problems built in.  Make the clue to solve related to the end website that students will access.  Kids enjoy solving problems, adding a puzzle to a website gives students a sense of anticipation for the activity they will be completing.  Trick.ly urls take just seconds to create, they are a fast, easy way to direct your students to a website.

Tips: Trick.ly would be a great way to share websites and web pages that you create for your classroom.  We have a school Facebook and Twitter account.  If I wanted to share pictures I took of our school carnival, I could share them with Trick.ly, adding a layer of protection.

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

Edistorm

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What it is: The name Edistorm is a mash-up of the name Thomas Edison and brainstorm, it is inspired by Edison’s idea factories.  Edistorm is an incredible brainstorming and collaboration tool that, on the surface, reminds me of WallwisherEdistorm has some additional features and abilities that make it very useful in the classroom.  Just like Wallwisher, you brainstorm and collaborate using virtual sticky notes.  Edistorm gives you a place to organize ideas in a real-time interactive wall.  Virtual sticky notes can teach have their own color and can be organized in vertical or horizontal groupings.  Edistorms can be created independently or with others in a collaborative effort.  Edistorm features an idea bot that works at the bottom of the screen offering suggested ideas based on what students add to the sticky notes in the work space.  There are a variety of bots including a rhyming bot, thesaurus, and related words. Public and solo Edistorms are free to create, premium accounts are available for  private Edistorms.  

How to integrate Edistorm into the classroom: Edistorm offers an exceptional opportunity for students to brainstorm, collaborate, and group ideas.  Students can use Edistorm to brainstorm ideas for writing, research, for grouping ideas, and collaborating on group projects. Create an Edistorm for your students and ask them to group like ideas, sort, and expand on thoughts.  This could be done for any historical event, literature, science concept, and even phonics.  Students could practice spelling by typing out their spelling words along with a sentence or synonyms on sticky notes.  Then, they can group words by spelling pattern or common phoneme blends.  Create an Edistorm of sticky notes with English words and sticky notes with a foreign language word on them.  Students can work together to group words with their meanings.   In math, create Edistorms with word problems on one color of sticky note and answers on another set of sticky notes.  Students can work to create groups of problems and their solutions.  Edistorm can be used for whole class activities using an interactive whiteboard, the class can brainstorm together and collect ideas or use the grouping feature in an activity created by the teacher or students.

Tips: Edistorm requires an email address for sign up.  If you teach younger students, you may want to create classroom Edistorm sessions that you have control over.

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

Kerpoof: Make a StoryBook

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What it is: Kerpoof is a website that I use often with my students, I like it so much I have written about it a few times before here and hereKerpoof has just added a brand new Make a StoryBook tool.  Kerpoof’s Make a Storybook is an excellent addition to the already great lineup of Kerpoof tools.  Here students can create their own picture and story books.  They can use Kerpoof’s backgrounds, props, and characters or draw their own illustrations.  Students can write their story in both text boxes and speech bubbles.  The interface is extremely user friendly, kids will pick it up in no time!  The sidebar has thumbnails of each page that students have created, making it easy to see their progress.  Students can save their finished Story Books on their Kerpoof account to share with other students, download the finished Story Book to their computers, or print out their completed stories.  

How to integrate Kerpoof’s Make a StoryBook into the classroom: Kerpoof’s Make a StoryBook is a fantastic place for students to “publish” their written work.  Students can practice writing fairy tales, poetry, collaborative stories, fables, math based stories, illustrated science journals and non-fiction books.  Kerpoof offers the freedom of creativity, students are only limited by their own imaginations.  Set up your classroom computers as a publishing center where students can create a finished, published piece of work.  Create collaborative class stories using Make a StoryBook on an interactive whiteboard or projector.  Print out finished stories and add them to your classroom library for other students to “check out” and read.

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Tips: In addition to the new Make a StoryBook, Kerpoof has added another fun activity called Spell a picture.  Students can choose a background for their picture and use the letters below to practice spelling words.  As they spell, pictures pop up that begin with those letters.  As they continue spelling, Kerpoof narrows the pictures down to the one that a student has spelled.  For example, when students select “c” pictures of a cow, cat, corn, car, cab, and cap pop up on the scene.  As they continue selecting letters, the pictures get more specific and Kerpoof points to the suggested pictures of what has been spelled.

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

Lightning Bug

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What it is: Lightning Bug is a fantastic resource for the writing classroom.  The tag-line of Lightning Bug is, “Your writing partner, helping you write a story from beginning to THE END”.  That is exactly what it does.  For each stage of the writing process, students have access to excellent guides and resources to aid the process.  Students can get help finding a story idea, developing the idea, and finishing the story.  Students can even have a look at what kind of writer they might be based on their personalities.  Lightning Bug has a great collection of writing resources.  Students can explore author blogs, search for character names, get some exercises in creativity, get help with grammar and spelling, and even get help for publishing their written work.  The teacher resources are equally helpful for teaching writing.

How to integrate Lightening Bug into the classroom: Lightning Bug is a great resource to have going on your classroom computers as a writing/publishing center.  Students can visit the site to get help with every stage of writing.  This is an excellent site to send home and alert parents to, it would be enormously helpful for at-home writing projects.  If you have access to a computer lab or 1 to 1 setting, allow your students to walk through this website as they work on any piece of writing.  The site is organized really well and easy to navigate independently.  Be sure to take a look at the teacher resources.

A few of the recommendations for the writing process include worksheets such as mind maps.  Instead of using a worksheet for students to map their ideas, consider using online tools that will let students organize their thoughts and collaborate with others as they write.  Try using online mind mapping tools such as Creza’s Mindomo or  Comapping.  Students can use tools such as Zoho, Google Docs, or Kerpoof to collaborate as they write.

Tips: Many of the ideas and resources found on Lightning Bug are useful for digital storytelling.

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

Treasures Reading Supplement

What it is: We use the Treasures Reading curriculum (Macmillan McGraw Hill) at the school where I teach.  Although there are things I like about this curriculum, one thing that is in need of improvement are the activities provided for students to practice the skills that they are learning.  The activities don’t change from 1st-5th grade, are very repetitive, and do not encourage any sort of deeper thinking skills.  In an attempt to remedy this for our students, I went through each unit for 1st through 5th grade and pulled out the essential learning components.  I found activities that were engaging and required some deeper thinking to supplement what was currently in the curriculum.  As I worked to supplement the activities, I looked for a few things: 1. The activity could be completed with the whole class, using an interactive whiteboard or projector, or could be completed as a computer center (for the classroom with 2 or 3 computers).  2. The activities had to meet and reinforce the essential learning. 3. The activities had to be more engaging than what was already suggested.


How to integrate Treasures Reading Supplement into the classroom: These guides are meant to be a supplement for the Treasures Reading Curriculum.  They are designed to offer some extra ideas for helping students to practice and solidify learning.  You will find a few activities that are meant for offline use such as a whole class bingo game or partner matching games.  You will also notice some suggestions for Promethean activities.  I created some supplemental flipcharts for our teachers to use that I am happy to share if you can use them. (I hope to have these up on Promethean Planet soon).   Many of these activities can be completed as a center activity in the classroom.  We don’t always have access to a computer lab of computers.  In the classroom with a few computers, set up a weekly rotation so that your students can complete some of the online activities.  Some of the games and activities are also appropriate for whole class participation.

In my classroom, I like to play games with my students.  I will often split students into teams where the teams will take turns working through a game.   Students love the extra layer of competition being timed.

In my reading classroom, I  had literacy groups that I met with every day.  Each day I met with a new group (those students who were in need of remedial reading met each day of the week).  During literacy group time, the group that I was working with read the story for the week, learned and practiced key essential learning together (phonics, grammar, vocabulary) , and worked on building comprehension strategies.  While I worked with my smaller literacy groups, the rest of the class  worked through independent literacy centers.  At the beginning of the week I explained all of the centers for the week.  Because my classroom had limited space, I put my centers into colored tubs that rotated around the classroom.  Each day a small group of students received a center tub.  The tub has all of the necessary supplies and directions for that center.  One of my centers always involved the classroom computers.  Sometimes the centers were inquiry based, sometimes games, and sometimes additional reading practice.  Every week, each student completed each center activity.  In the meantime, I was able to work one on one with my literacy groups.  This worked really well in my classroom and technology made it easy for students to work at their own level independently.

The guides are below in ebook format using Issuu, they have been separated by grade.  Even if you don’t teach the Treasures Curriculum, everything has been arranged by the learning focus, these overlap in most curricula.  You may find some great activities that meet your classroom need here:


First Grade:


Second Grade:

Third Grade:

Fourth Grade:

Fifth Grade:


*Note: The fourth and fifth grade spelling lists on Spelling City do not come from the Treasures curriculum.  The fourth grade uses Houghton Mifflin and the fifth grade has generated their own lists.

For a list of all of my publications check out my library on Issuu.


Leave a comment and share how you are using the Treasures Reading Supplement in your classroom.

Kids Spell

What it is: Kids Spell is another fun website for students to practice their spelling words on.  Students can choose to practice their own spelling words or practice spelling in general with the “select a spelling list” feature.  Kids Spell gives students a place to create their own spelling list and provides a unique url where they can access the list again and again.  After students have entered their spelling words, they can choose to practice them with eight games.

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How to integrate Kids Spell into the classroom: Because Kids Spell creates a unique URL to access saved spelling lists, it is an easy way for students to practice spelling from school or home.  Just link to the spelling list from your classroom website, blog, wiki, or in your weekly newsletter. Bookmark the URL on classroom computers and create a spelling center that your students can visit throughout the week during literacy.  Students can use the Kids Spell generic spelling lists to help them practice for a spelling bee type competition.

Tips: Be sure to let parents know about Kids Spell, they are always looking for new ways to help their children study.  Games make spelling practice throughout the week much less painful!

Related Resources: Spelling City, Spelling Wizard, Spellitis, Word Safari

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

Word Safari

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What it is: Word Safari is an entertaining little game where students can enter and practice their spelling words.  Kids can practice seven spelling words at a time by entering any seven of their spelling words.  Students can choose from three difficulty levels for their game (this just speeds up the letters).  The game puts students in a jungle.  Their character is holding onto balloons and floating through the air.  The target spelling word is in the upper left hand corner of the screen.  As the character floats through the air, letters pass by.  The goal is to “run” into the letters needed to spell the spelling word by moving the character into the letters.

How to integrate Word Safari into the classroom: While I don’t think this game could be used as the sole method for learning spelling words, it does provide students with extra exposure to their spelling words and that is always a good thing!  This little game would make a great spelling center in the classroom.  Students could take turns at the center playing Word Safari once through.  Send the Word Safari URL home with students so that they can play at home.  Parents are always looking for fun ways to get in a little extra spelling practice.

Tips: Another great site from my PLN on Twitter, I don’t remember who originated the tweet because their were several re-tweets.  So, thank you to all for this fun spelling practice site!

Related Resources: Spelling City, Spelling Wizard, Spellitis

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Word Safari Typing in your classroom.

Spell Quizzer

What it is:  Spell Quizzer is software that helps students practice their spelling words each week.  Input spelling words into Spell Quizzer and use the software to study spelling words.  Spell Quizzer plays back audio of the spelling word you record and waits for the student to type in the word.  Students get immediate feedback about how they did.  The software re-quizzes students on spelling words that were missed after the first run through.  This software costs $29.95 but the creator has generously offered iLearn Technology readers a free copy of the software for one classroom computer.  Parents can get a free trial of Spell Quizzer to find out how it works for their family.  To get your free copy of Spell Quizzer fill out the contact form here: http://www.SpellQuizzer.com/Contact.htm.  Be sure to mention that you are an iLearn Technology educator and use an email address associated with an education institution when requesting a free license.

How to integrate Spell Quizzer into the classroom:  Spell Quizzer is excellent software for your classroom computer, record spelling words at the beginning of each week.  Give students multiple opportunities to visit the spelling center to practice their words.  We all know that not all parents help their kids study spelling, this is a great way to ensure that all students get some practice in.  

 

Tips:  Be sure to share this software idea with parents. Busy parents will appreciate the help with spelling practice!  *Spell Quizzer is a PC only software currently…hopefully there will be a Mac version in the future.

 

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