Interactive Whiteboard – Page 24

Word Ahead Vocabulary Videos

July 28, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment2614 views

What it is: Word Ahead Vocabulary Videos has an amazing collection of animated videos that help increase student vocabulary. The extensive collection of videos can be used for study, SAT preparation, and increased word understanding. The Word Ahead study room provides students with a distraction free environment with vocabulary videos and flash cards. New vocabulary videos are uploaded regularly. Students can join Word Ahead for free and have a new vocabulary video sent to them each day (think word of the day 2.0). Want to inspire some creativity in your classroom? Students can create and upload their own vocabulary videos. Each video is reviewed before posting to ensure appropriateness.

How to integrate Word Ahead Vocabulary Videos into the classroom: Word Ahead Vocabulary Videos are an excellent way to expand and enrich student vocabulary. The video format will help solidify new words for students. Register to get a new video emailed to you each day. Share these videos with your students as a precursor to class. Make the vocabulary video word the word of the day. Challenge students to use the word throughout the day. Word Ahead is also a great site to use with English language learners. The videos are a fantastic way for students to visually increase vocabulary development. As an extension activity, take vocabulary from class curriculum and have students create their own vocabulary video to upload to Word Ahead.

Tips: Tell parents about Word Ahead Vocabulary Videos, they are always looking for great sites to help their kids study.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Word Ahead Vocabulary Videos in your classroom.

Discover the Forest

July 27, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2908 views

What it is: Last week I wrote about an amazing interactive forest called UPM Forest Life. I found a website today that would be a great site to couple with a UPM Forest Life virtual field trip. Discover the Forest is a site that has fun games and activities for students to complete online and a great booklet to print out full of activities to complete outside. After travelling through the UPM Virtual Forest, students can head over to the Discover the Forest website and listen to animal sounds, create leaf rubbings, learn how to use a compass, and match animal tracks.

How to integrate Discover the Forest into the classroom: Discover the Forest would be an excellent follow-up activity for a virtual field trip (or actual field trip) to a forest. Students can complete the short online activities as part of a science learning center, or on individual student computers. Encourage students to use the “Find a Forest or Park Near You” feature to find the nearest forest. Students can plan a trip to the closest forest complete with a supply checklist, a map, and a checklist of wildlife to look for. If you are fortunate enough to have a forest nearby, you can print out the “Book of Stuff to do Outside” for students to complete.

Tips: This site has an excellent interactive to teach students how to use a compass, be sure to check it out! Thank you to @larryferazzo for Tweeting about this fun site!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Discover the Forest in your classroom.

Moon in Google Earth

July 20, 2009July 20, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2811 views

What it is: Today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission. I have been following the moon landing on We Choose the Moon. This is an incredible site that has allowed me to re-live (for the first time) the Apollo 11 mission as if it were happening today. In honor of this historic day, Google released Google Earth 5.0 complete with Moon view. With Moon in Google Earth you and your students can take tours of landing sites narrated by Apollo astronauts, view 3-D models of landed spacecraft, zoom into 360* photos of astronauts footprints, and watch rare TV footage of the Apollo missions.

How to integrate Moon in Google Earth into the classroom: Now that the moon has made an appearance in Google Earth, your students can experience the moon and Apollo missions up close and personal. Space, astronauts, Apollo missions, and the moon were the stuff of legends before the space race took off. Moon in Google Earth brings back the excitement of the space race allowing students to explore and discover. This is an excellent virtual field trip to take your students on during any space or moon unit. Use an interactive whiteboard to discover as a class. Students can take turns being moon tour guides. Students could also explore independently keeping their discoveries in a space journal and reporting back to others what they discovered on their journey to the moon.

Tips: Google Earth is a download. If you need IT to perform downloads for you, be sure that Google Earth makes it on your list of must haves for the school year.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Moon in Google Earth in your classroom.Moon in Google Earth

UPM Forest Life

July 14, 2009July 15, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment3279 views

virtual forest

What it is: UPM Forest Life is an excellent interactive site that lets students explore a forest virtually. This is the next best thing to actually being in a forest, I can almost smell the pine trees! UPM Forest Life aims to teach about forest sustainability through an outstanding ‘hike’ through the forest. Along the way, students can click on points that will reveal videos, pictures with information, and sounds. Students will learn about forest planning, harvesting, regeneration, respacing, thinning, transport, recreation, training, berry picking, bird watching, hunting, fishing, natural forests, valuable habitats, deadwood, forest structure, water, and native tree species. Students will also learn about the various animals that call a forest home. This is an outstanding way for students to learn about tree species, habitat, and animals because it is learning through exploration. UPM Forest Life will teach them in a way that no textbook can.

How to integrate UPM Forest Life into the classroom: Although I am sure we would love to take our students on a field trip to a forest to explore and learn first hand, it isn’t always practical or possible. UPM Forest Life is a fantastic virtual substitute. It is so realistic and well done that your students will feel as if they have taken a trip into a forest. This would be an excellent site to use with an interactive whiteboard. Allow students to take turns being ‘tour guides’ for the journey. They can click on the various videos, pictures, and information embedded in the forest. Create an observation journal where students can jot down observations of trees, animals, and sounds that they expereince while in the forest. This site would also be a great one for students to visit individually in a computer lab setting. Be sure that students are equipped with headphones so they can enjoy the full experience of the site. After students explore the forest, discuss what it means to have a sustainable forest and why it is important. This site is perfect for the science classroom or Earth Day but it would also work well in the language arts classroom. Students could use the UPM Forest Life as a writing prompt, after exploring the forest they could write a story with the forest as the setting, or use one of the animals in the forest as a character in the story. The scenery and sounds in the Forest are so peaceful and restorative, this may be a good site to have going in the background while students silent read…almost like reading above the trees in a tree house!

Tips: I have really enjoyed exploring this site and haven’t closed it since I opened it. I learned about the UPM Forest Life site from @atkauffman on Twitter, I highly recommend a follow! Andrew often has great resources for teachers and shares them on Twitter.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using UPM Forest Life in your classroom.

Smithsonian Virtual Museum

July 6, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2483 views

What it is: I learn about great websites for the classroom from a variety of sources, I heard about the Smithsonian Virtual Museum from my dad. This is the most amazing virtual look at a museum I have seen. Students can take a self guided tour through the whole museum. They can navigate room by room using their mouse to “walk” through the museum, or navigate by clicking on the room or exhibit they would like to visit on the museum map. Camera icons throughout the museum show students hotspots where students can get close to an object or exhibit panel. This is a truly amazing way for students to learn about natural history. Students can explore the ocean hall, ancient seas, dinosaurs, early life, fossils and plants, mammals, African cultures, ice age, western cultures, reptiles, insects, butterflies, plants, bones, geology, gems, minerals, and the hope diamond. As students explore the museum, the map will show which exhibits have been visited and which have yet to be visited. I am completely amazed by this site and could spend hours going through the exhibits myself, students will love it! THIS is what virtual field trips should be!

How to integrate Smithsonian Virtual Museum into the classroom: Not all schools have the luxury or the funds to take a field trip to the museum. Not all cities have great natural history museums like the Smithsonian. This virtual tour is the next best thing to taking an actual field trip. The museum can be viewed full screen which would be outstanding for an interactive whiteboard or projector. The museum and exhibits will be life size for students to explore. Allow students to guide the tour using the map and navigation tools. As you “walk” from exhibit to exhibit take the time to stop and discuss what students are seeing and how it relates to what they are learning in class. Students can also explore the Smithsonian individually on student computers.

It would be a neat assignment for a group of students to study the different exhibits in the museum. The groups could explore and research the exhibit and then give classmates a ‘tour’ of their exhibit acting as exhibit guide with an interactive whiteboard or projector.

This is an incredible FREE resource that every classroom should use. Even if you have access to a natural history museum for field trips, this site is still incredibly useful. Prepare for the field trip before hand by visiting the Smithsonian Virtual Museum or follow a field trip with the site. Compare and contrast your local natural history museum with the Smithsonian.

Tips: Make sure that you have all the appropriate plugins required for this site before using with students.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Smithsonian Virtual Museum in your classroom.

Help Me 2 Learn: Grammar 1

July 1, 2009July 1, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment10627 views

What it is: Help Me 2 Learn: Grammar is an outstanding way for students to learn the difference between nouns, pronouns, verbs and adjectives. Help Me 2 Learn is actually a pay for learning website, but Grammar 1 is a full demo of the grammar game for FREE! This is an incredible interactive that will help your students learn four parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. The interactive has a baseball theme and begins with some coach time where your students learn about the different parts of speech. Each part of speech is introduced by the coach and accompanied by several interactive examples. Students get a single when they learn about nouns, a double when they learn about pronouns, a triple when they learn adjectives, and a home run when they learn about verbs. There is a speed round game where students will play a game identifying parts of speech they have learned. Finally, students can do a word sort in the Home Run Derby game. This game is truly impressive, especially considering that it is FREE to use with your students!

How to integrate Help Me 2 Learn: Grammar into the classroom: Help Me 2 Learn: Grammar 1 is a great site to use in a computer lab setting. The coaching and game is paced according to student input. Students can learn at their own pace and get immediate learning feedback throughout the game. The Coach Time section of the site could be completed as a whole class with an interactive whiteboard. Students can take turns interacting with the coach time at the board. After completing Coach Time as a whole class, set up a grammar center where students can play the Speed Round, and Home Run Derby.

Tips: This site is a comprehensive way for students to learn about nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. This is a site that is worth letting students take time with individually in the computer lab setting.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Help Me 2 Learn: Grammar 1 in your classroom.

Virtual Spirograph

June 29, 2009June 30, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment3300 views

What it is: Remember Spirographs? I had a set that could keep me busy for hours. As I was searching back through websites to align with curriculum, I found the virtual Spirograph on Math Playground. Virtual Spirograph lets your students determine colors, pen positions, and the radius of the circles. Students can then draw the Spirograph adding layers. One of the best features of this fun site is the “where’s the math” button that shows a break down of the math involved in the spirograph activity.

How to integrate Virtual Spirograph into the classroom: Virtual Spirograph is a great way to teach practical (and fun) math. Students will learn about epicycloids and what happens when they adjust radius and reflector placements. Virtual Spirograph will help students visualize difficult math concepts and create fun artwork in the process. This is a great site to introduce with an interactive whiteboard or projector. Students can take turns adjusting the pen position and radii. Encourage other students in the class to predict what the epicycloids will look like based on the radii chosen and the pen position. Then click draw and discuss what actually happened. Virtual Spirograph can be set up as a math center for students to visit in the one or two computer classroom. Students can visit the center in small groups and take turns predicting the outcome as a partner adjusts the pen position and radii.

Tips: The Virtual Spirograph relies on a flash player, make sure you have one before using this site with students.

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

Planet in Action

June 25, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2234 views

What it is: I just learned about this site from @jdornberg on Twitter; even though I have a long list of sites waiting for a post, I had to write one on Planet in Action right now. This is an incredible site that uses Google Earth as a basis for interactive journeys around the earth. Students can take a virtual helicopter ride above the Grand Canyon, explore Mount St. Helen, sail a virtual ship in Port of Rotterdam, take a helicopter tour of Manhattan, or Disneyland Paris. As students explore, they can grab a snapshot and create their own virtual post card.

How to integrate Planet in Action into the classroom: Virtual field trips just got a lot more realistic thanks to Planet in Action! Planet in Action will take students on a tour of the different virtual places or students can take control and explore on their own. This is an amazing site to use when studying famous landmarks or places. Use this site with an interactive whiteboard or a projector-connected-computer. Take your whole class on a virtual field trip to places that they are studying in class. This is an outstanding way to bring some life to lessons. Watch the recorded tour and discuss different landmarks as you see them. Then ‘hire’ a helicopter ‘pilot’ who can navigate the trip for the class. Allow students to play tour guide and explore. Create postcards and virtual tours that can be saved and re-played. In the computer lab setting, each student can create a virtual tour that can be shared with classmates (complete with a postcard greeting!). In addition to the virtual tour, students can navigate by using a Google Map to see exactly where they are in the virtual tour. In the Port of Rotterdam instead of flying using a virtual helicopter, students will actually sail a ship. Students can choose their ship, blow the whistle, and navigate from port to port seeing actual images from Google Earth. Your students will want to spend hours learning and exploring here! Integrate Planet in Action into other learning opportunities, after exploring the world virtually, students could create a brochure for the place they visisted, write a postcard, or even create a short travel video.

Tips: This site takes a few minutest to load, be patient, it is well worth it!

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

GeoEdu

June 22, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment15907 views

What it is: GeoEdu is a free software download for both Macs and PC’s. The software contains two parts, the first is an atlas with interactive maps and details for each country including the capital, flag, land and water borders, length of the coasts, the population, official languages, internet and country code, currency, international organization membership, and more. The second part of the software is a game offering more than 100,000 geography questions about worldwide geography. The game lets players give an answer or choose to answer with clues or multiple choice. After answering a question, students can view their score and look at detailed data for the territory.

How to integrate GeoEdu into the classroom: I’m not sure why school supply stores still sell the pull down atlas, with all of the amazing atlas and map tools available for free, buying a map seems so last century! GeoEdu is a bright and colorful interactive atlas with great details for each country. This free software is perfect for use with an interactive whiteboard or projector. The game included is a great way to increase student geography knowledge. Play the game as a class during geography or any time you have a few extra minutes. Keep a running score going throughout the year that can be added to easily. GeoEdu is also a great download for classroom and library computers. Use GeoEdu as a geography/atlas center where students can stop by and interact with maps and play the game.

Tips: This site does require a download so be sure to add it to your wish list before the start of school.

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

Number Nut

June 19, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2116 views

What it is: Number Nut is a site all about math. I love their catch phrase: “enough math can make anyone nutty”. This site certainly has enough math for that! Topics on Number Nut include: shapes and colors, numbers and counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, order of operations, dates and times, fractions, decimals, percent values, estimation and rounding, ratios, and money math. There is something for every math class here! Each topic gives an overview of the math concept (kind of like the break down students would find at the beginning of a new math chapter). This is followed by two interactives where students can practice their new found knowledge. Number Nut is standard aligned and has a great math glossary.

How to integrate Number Nut into the classroom: Number Nut is truly like an interactive math textbook, there are multiple pages for each concept and each page is followed by two interactive practice areas. I love this as an alternative to math textbooks because students get immediate feedback as they work. They know whether they have mastered the concept or need to keep working at it. With traditional math textbooks, a student doesn’t know if they understand a concept until they turn in their math worksheet and get it back a few days later full of red marks. Number Nut is good for teaching new math concepts on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Students can read along as you explain and demonstrate new math concepts. Then, students can practice on their own. Ideally, Number Nut would be used in a computer lab setting where every student is using a computer. This would allow students to work at their own pace and on the skills they need the most practice on. Number Nut could also be used as a math center where students take turns visiting and solving problems.

Tips: I learned about Number Nut from a tweet by @kellyhines she is full of great classroom resources and one of my favorite education follows! Number Nut does require flash so make sure that you have the appropriate flash plugins before using this site with your class.

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