Category: Grade Level

Jump Start 3-D

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Jump Start 3-D2228 views

 

What it is:   I got the tip off for Jump Start 3-D from a tweet by Kevin Jarrett (@kjarrett) the other night and have been having a great time exploring ever since.  Jump Start is the popular software title that makes educational home and school software for pre-k through 2nd grade.  Jump Start 3-D is a highly interactive virtual world for kids.  Each location within the Jump Start 3-D world offers fun learning adventures focused on math, reading, and critical thinking skills.  Students start out by creating a character avitar that represents them in the virtual world.  Registration is free on Jump Start 3-D for access to the basic world.  Membership for $7.99/ month has the added benefit of new games and activities added monthly, grows with students (as they get better at the games, new more challenging games are added).  I was very impressed with the free version!  

 

How to integrate Jump Start 3-D into the classroom:  Jump Start 3-D is really geared toward home use, however, I think it would make a great center in the one or two computer classroom.  The site is an awesome way to familiarize students with computer skills like mouse manipulation, clicking links, using arrow keys, etc.  As the students are playing in the virtual world they will also be building reading, math, and critical thinking skills…just what they need for a great 21st century literacy base.  

 

Tips:   Even if you don’t have room in your curriculum for the Jump Start 3-D virtual world in your classroom, be sure to let parents know about this fun site.  It is a great alternative to other video games that students may be playing at home because of all the learning skills packed in.  This site is highly interactive including video clips, highly interactive games, and sounds.  You will need a high speed connection for this site.  Jump Start 3-D does require an Internet plugin called Utility Web Player.dmg.  The install is very simple and fast directly from the Jump Start website.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Jump Start 3-D in your classroom.

Animalia

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Animalia3751 views

 

What it is: The Animalia website is based on the popular book and television series written and illustrated by Graeme Base. The website is just as impressive as the book with amazing illustrations and activities for students.  On the Animalia website, students are introduced to the characters of Animalia, the goal of the Animalia site, Animalia news, and games and activities.  The Animalia site brings students on a wonderful adventure where their goal is to collect all of the “core spores” to restore the Core of Animalia.  Students collect the core spores by going on several adventures where they will play learning games, discover, and follow directions.  Games and activities include logic puzzles, memory skills, code cracking, map reading, and listening skills.  The listening game is called Toucan Talk (which I learned about on Larry Ferrazlo’s blog) and  asks students to listen to a message in the wrong order, and change the order of words or sounds so that the message makes sense.  The site is extremely interactive.  Students will love becoming part of the adventure.

 

How to integrate Animalia into the classroom:   Animalia is like a giant online scavenger hunt where students solve problems to advance in the game.  This site would be a great one to use to teach following written and oral directions, logical thinking, and problem solving skills.  These aren’t skills that we generally focus on in isolation but the Animalia site does a wonderful job of weaving a story around a problem and inviting students along on an adventure to solve the problem.  Because students are problem solving, this would be an excellent site for students to work on collaboratively as a team.  Students can be split into teams to see who can collect all of the “core spores” first through problem solving.  What I love about watching my students interact with each other on this site, is the way that one team would solve a problem and then teach another team how they did it.  Nothing better than kids teaching kids!  For younger students, the game could be completed as a whole class with a projector or interactive whiteboard.  The clues and games will have to be more teacher directed but your students will quickly catch on and be ready to play!

 

Tips:   This site is highly interactive including video clips, highly interactive games, and sounds.  You will need a high speed connection for this site.  Bring on the bandwidth!

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

Pocket Manila

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Pocket Manila2793 views

 

What it is: Pocket Manila is a site that provides online notebooks that can be used as a journal, blog, idea bank, photo album, portfolio, group blog, ezine, story book, and more.  Pocket Manila is unique because it feels like a canvas-bound, manila paper journal.  Pocket Manila makes it feel like you are writing in a real notebook.  The pages turn, writing and pictures automatically flow to the next page and are sized correctly for the page.  Students can easily change the look of their notebooks with colors and themes.  The control panel is simple, streamlined and easy to use.  

 

How to integrate Pocket Manila into the classroom:    Use Pocket Manila in a creative writing classroom as a creative writing journal.  Students can work on their writing wherever they have an Internet connection without having to remember to tote their journals everywhere they go.  Pocket Manila’s sharing ability makes it wonderful for collaboration in writing classes.  Students can read and comment on each others writing, leaving constructive criticism right in their journals.  Pocket Manila is also great used in the science classroom as a place to take lab notes, record observations and the scientific method.  Teachers can use Pocket Manila as a place to collect and organize lesson plans, class notes, etc.  Younger students can use Pocket Manila to record thoughts about books they are reading, practice their writing.  Teachers can comment right in the student notebook.

 

Tips:   I love Pocket Manila because there is something special about having a notebook or writing journal of your own to record thoughts.  Those of us who didn’t grow up with the Internet appreciate simple pleasures like notebooks that feel like notebooks and day runners full of sticky notes and scribbled reminders!  Pocket Manila provides the nostalgia of a notebook and the convenience and cool factor of digital. 

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

Webspiration

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Webspiration2236 views

 

What it is: You have most likely heard about the popular visual thinking software called Inspiration (or Kidspiration).  Webspiration is a new online version of the visual thinking outlining and organizing.  Webspiration has many of the same features as Inspiration but is free to use and allows for collaborative visual thinking.  Webspiration is perfect for planning, organizing research, and completing projects successfully from beginning to end.  Brainstorming and outlining tools help students organize thoughts for papers and research projects.  Collaboration on Webspiration documents is simple and allows for same document contributing, posting, comments, and viewing changes.  Concept maps and diagrams are created easily with Webspiration.  Visual diagrams and graphic organizers, such as those created with Webspiration, help students retain information.  

 

How to integrate Webspiration into the classroom:    Webspiration is a great tool for the classroom.  Teach elementary age students how to visually organize information using concept maps, venn diagrams, and KWL charts.  Basic outlining skills can also be taught in the elementary classroom using Webspiration.  As students get older, Webspiration helps them take control of and organize their own learning.  Teachers can create concept maps and invite students to collaborate and help fill in information.  These online graphic organizers are wonderful for students, they contribute to filling it in and can access it from any Internet connected computer, iPod, or phone to study from later.

 

Tips:   Webspiration is currently in beta, if you notice any glitches or have ideas for additional features let Webspiration know!

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

Mrs. P’s Magic Library

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Mrs. P’s Magic Library3588 views

 

What it is: I heard about this wonderful website from Larry Ferlazzo on his blog last week and have been exploring it ever since.  Mrs. P’s Magic Library is a free website for kids that celebrates reading and books.  Mrs. P is the librarian at the Magic Library, she brings story time to life with video stories and read-alongs.  Her library also features fun animated games and lots of crazy characters that students will love.   When students enter this virtual library they will have access to Mrs. P reading them a story, fun interactive games, and videos (lots more to explore!!).  The whole idea behind the library is to introduce students to great literature read to them in classic story-time style (not just listening to an audio book).  This virtual library is about as close as you can get to the real thing!  Your students will love Mrs. P.

 

How to integrate Mrs. P’s Magic Library into the classroom:    Mrs. P’s Magic Library is an outstanding addition to any classroom.  Use Mrs. P.com as a place to begin silent reading one day a week.  Use a projector and speakers so that Mrs. P can read to your class before they begin their silent reading time.  Mrs. P’s excellent storytelling abilities will have even your reluctant readers eager to read.  Tell parents about Mrs. P so that students can enjoy the virtual library from school or home.  Mrs. P’s Magic Library makes a great reading/ listening center and the options to read along or listen make it ideal for any students ability level.

 

Tips:   Mrs. P’s Magic Library requires high speed Internet access because of all the video and interactive games on the site.  This one may eat up some serious bandwidth in a computer lab setting!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Mrs. P’s Magic Library in your classroom.

Watch Know

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Watch Know1765 views

 

 

What it is:   Watch Know is a new educational video collection site.  The site has not been officially launched and is still in beta version but already has a number of outstanding educational videos all offered for free!  Watch Know brings together the best educational videos online into one convenient-to-search, safe site.  Teachers, parents, and kids come together to find the videos, the videos are then approved for appropriateness by a media review panel made up mostly by school teachers and librarians.  The site is very easy to search by category, topic, or keywords.  Every video that I viewed was outstanding!

 

How to integrate Watch Know into the classroom:   Watch Know is a great place to find educational videos to introduce any topic to students.  The videos are wonderful to use as the anticipatory portion of a lesson to capture students interest in new topics, themes, or subjects.  The videos are also well used as discussion starters for classroom debates/discussions.  Because the videos are collected from all around the Internet but hosted on the Watch Know website, you can bring educational You Tube videos into the classroom even if your school blocks You Tube.  Encourage students to interact and think critically about the video by rating the videos and leaving comments.

 

Tips:   Videos are collected from all over the Internet from sites like SlideBoom to sites like You Tube.  Some videos are interactive.  I particularly liked the Logic puzzle interactive video where a logic puzzle is presented, kids can work out the puzzle and then click the video for the correct answer.  

 

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

Clicky Live

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Clicky Live1733 views

 

What it is:   Clicky Live is a free Internet safety webcast for kids being held on December 10, 2008.  Clicky is the NetSmartz kids robot and is an expert on Internet safety.  This year, Clicky wants to make sure kids ages 5-10 have all the tools they need to stay safe online.  The NetSmartz live webcast will engage kids in a dialogue about Internet safety through chat or call in features, allowing them to have an interactive experience with Clicky.  You can sign up individuals or a whole class for Clicky Live by RSVPing and submitting questions to Clicky for the show.  There is also a step-by-step guide to facilitating the Clicky Live show and accompanying NetSmartz activity pages.  

 

How to integrate Clicky Live into the classroom:   Clicky Live can be enjoyed by a group of students or individual students.  The Clicky Live event is held on December 10, 2008 at 5pm and 7pm EST, because most kids are out of school at this time, you can send fliers home to encourage students and parents to participate individually, hold an Internet safety night where parents and students can come back to school for a Clicky Live event, or use Clicky Live in an after school program.   Be sure to check out the step by step guide to facilitating the Clicky Live show for some great ideas.

 

Tips:   Offer extra credit to those students who participate in Clicky Live at home with their families.  

 

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

Canvastic dot NET

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Canvastic dot NET15362 views

 

What it is:   Canvastic dot NET is the online beta version of a drawing software program I have written a post about in the past.  Canvastic is basically a Kid Pix type program without all the “toys” it lets students draw and write without being distracted by the ability to “blow things up” or “flush” their picture.  Canvastic dot NET is the FREE online version of the program.  The online version doesn’t have all the bells and whistle that the software version does but it is an excellent online drawing program that lets students save their work to a flash drive or computer and print out their work.  It also has a great replay button that lets them replay and watch the picture they just drew.  

 

How to integrate Canvastic dot NET into the classroom:   The online version of Canvastic is wonderful for those students who use software at school and wish they had it for home projects.  Canvastic can be used for all kinds of amazing classroom projects, some of the ideas included on the Canvastic website are:

abstract art
animations
bitmap art
books
brochures
cards
cartoons
characters
charts
conversations
covers
decorations
designs
diagrams
doodles
drawings
explanations
flow charts
flyers
graphs
illustrations
interviews
landscapes
letters
lists
logos
maps
math art
notes
pages
paragraphs
pictures
plans
plays
poems
portraits
posters
presentations
questions
quotes
reports
scenes
science reports
sentences
slide shows
stories
vector art
write-ups

The Canvastic replay button allows students to watch the process of a drawing.  Students could use the replay feature for a plant cycle unit.  Have students start out by drawing the plant cycle in order, when they replay their mini movie, it shows the plant cycle in action….very cool!

 

Tips:   Check out Canvastic.com to get great lesson ideas and resources for using Canvastic in your classroom!

 

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

Kid Thing

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Kid Thing2449 views

 

What it is:   I could have sworn that I had written a post about Kid Thing in the past, but after running several searches on my posts, I came up empty.  Kid Thing is a secure digital media player for kids in grades k-4.  Kid Thing accesses the Internet but is not a web browser.  It is more like an iTunes type environment designed specifically for kids.  There are no advertisements on Kid Thing and because it is not a web browser, there is no place to type a web address where students could inadvertently stumble on inappropriate content.  The Kid Thing player is free to download and they often have free downloads of learning and interactive activities for students.  There is also a Kid Thing store where additional books, videos, games, and creative arts can be downloaded to the Kid Thing player.  Everything in the store is very reasonably priced.  Right now Kid Thing is offering a free download in addition to the player, a 25 day Countdown to Christmas.  Each day students will get to open a new kid thing Surprise with a game to play.  After the game has been opened, it will stay on the Kid Thing player to be played over and over again.  

 

How to integrate Kid Thing into the classroom:   The Kid Thing player would make an excellent reading center, or learning center for phonics, language arts, and math.  The player is very user friendly for students.  Start each morning with the free Countdown for Christmas, let each student have a turn to be the one to open the Countdown for Christmas surprise.  Throughout the day, let students visit the Kid Thing center to complete the new activity for the day.  Kid Thing is great for the one or two classroom computers, a computer lab, a projector or interactive whiteboard, and for home use.  Encourage parents to download Kid Thing at home and add books and games that are appropriate for their child.

 

Tips:   At the moment Kid Thing only runs on PC’s running Window’s XP and Vista.  There is a Mac version in the works (hooray!!) and if you visit the download page you can sign up to be the first to know when the Mac version is available.  

 

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