Websites – Page 37 – iLearn Technology

Trick.ly

June 1, 2010Kelly Tenkely11 Comments4141 views

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.

National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure

May 26, 2010Kelly Tenkely3 Comments5516 views

What it is: National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure is the best everything-map site I have seen. The site was created by the Children’s museum of Indianapolis. Maps are presented as the keys to adventure. Students learn to use maps to find their way, share information, look at patterns, and solve problems. There are six excellent interactive games for students to practice putting their math skills to use. Students can explore a pyramid by guiding a robot to hieroglyphs, find sunken treasure, explore Mars, go on an adventure, see GIS in action, and visit Adventure Island. I love the realistic feel of these games, as students explore and guide robots, they get a “live” video feed of where they are navigating. On the National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventures site, you will find information about the Indianapolis exhibit, how to use maps, related map links, and lesson plans. This is one of those websites that my description just won’t do justice to, be sure to check it out!

How to integrate National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure into the classroom: This website is packed full of fantastic resources, games, and activities involving maps. This is THE website to use when you are teaching students map reading skills. As students navigate through the games, they will learn how to read a legend, practice following written directions, learn about different types of maps, practice giving directions, and problem solving. The games provide an authentic way for students to learn how to use maps. Lessons in the “For Educators” section are wonderful and incorporate the online games. National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure is ideal as a center on classroom computers or as an individual activity for the lab setting. It could also be used as a whole class activity with an interactive whiteboard or projector, allow each student to take part in the navigation process at the board.

Tips: Be sure to check out the Related Links for more map adventures, games, and activities, you will find fun extras to build map skills.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure in your classroom.

Math Doesn’t Suck

May 24, 2010Kelly Tenkely2 Comments2947 views

What it is: Danica McKellar (also known as Winnie Cooper of The Wonder Years) has written a book called Math Doesn’t Suck. Danica makes her love for math contagious and helps middle school girls to realize that Math Doesn’t Suck. On the Math Doesn’t Suck website, students can take a fun quiz called “Do You Hide Your Smarts (especially around guys)”, access a full solution guide to accompany the Math Doesn’t Suck book, learn more about the book, and get news and book signings.

How to integrate Math Doesn’t Suck into the classroom: There is a large population of girls (particularly in middle school) who believe that they are no good at math, they have already convinced themselves that girls are not as good at math as boys. They may believe that it isn’t cool or fashionable to be good at math. Danica aims to change these perceptions with her fun book Math Doesn’t Suck. If you teach girls in middle school math, start the year off with the “Do You Hide Your Smarts” quiz. It could give you great insight to what your girls believe about themselves in relation to math. Start a book club or assign Math Doesn’t Suck as reading to start your year. The book is a fun read that girls will connect with. Help transform your students perceptions of math and begin the year with girls who believe that they can be successful and good at math. The book includes

A unique Troubleshooting Guide to help students get “unstuck” and overcome their biggest challenges
True stories from Danica’s own life as a terrified math student, confident actress, and everything in between
A math horoscope, math personality quizzes, real-life testimonials, and more!

Tips: In the trouble shooting section, students will find solutions to these common math problems:

“Math bores me to death.”
“When it’s time to do Math, I get scared and try to avoid it.”
“I get confused and lost during class.”
“I think I understand something, but then I get the wrong answer in my homework.”
“At test time, I freeze up and can’t remember anything.”

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Math Doesn’t Suck in your classroom.

Math-A-Thon

May 24, 2010Kelly Tenkely2 Comments3371 views

What it is: Math-A-Thon is an excellent math site with a good cause. “Math-A-Thon is a volunteer-based fundraising program for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The program includes a free math curriculum supplement for grades K-8 that students complete after obtaining sponsorships from family and friends.” Students work on math and comprehension skills, age appropriate math problems while building empathy and character. By practicing math, students can raise money and awareness for St. Jude patients who are battling cancer and various other childhood diseases. In addition to the free curriculum and math fun books, Math-A-Thon has entertaining online math games and math character profiles. The Numerators are a math superhero team that is made up of Minus, Symmetry, Octagon and Fraction. The characters have math super powers that will help students as they solve problems in their Funbook and work at defeating evil robots. Each character has a fantastic character description (these remind me of the characters on Grammaropolis). Games on Math-A-Thon include Add Like Mad, Subtraction Action, and Bubble Bugs. Bubble Bugs is an enchanting game where students catch bugs inside bubbles, they practice counting, mouse control, and fine motor skills.

How to integrate Math-A-Thon into the classroom: Math-A-Thon is a website that will help get your students fired up and excited about math and helping others. The games are available for play whether or not you sign up for the full Math-A-Thon challenge. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can work together to help other kids by working on their math skills. Challenge your class or whole school to raise money for other kids using math as the vehicle. Add Like Mad and Subtraction Action would be fun games for a math center on classroom computers or as a whole class game using an interactive whiteboard. To play either game with the whole class, divide your students into two (or more) teams. Team 1 lines up at the IWB, the first person in the line completes the first problem and then passes play to the next student in line relay style. Teams try to clear the tiles in the least amount of time. After Team 1 has a final time, Team 2 tries to beat it. My students love this kind of friendly competition.

Use the Numerators team characters to learn about math concepts and vocabulary. There are four members of the current team, encourage your students to add to the superhero team with additional math team members. Students can create character profiles and back stories about their math operation superhero. Students could create individual baseball trading cards of their math superhero team member.

Tips: Download a free Funbook sample, these are high quality math workbooks that will have your students problem solving and having fun with math.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Math-A-Thon in your classroom.

What’s the Time Mr. Wolf

May 19, 2010Kelly Tenkely4 Comments3586 views

What it is: What’s the Time Mr. Wolf is a fun sequencing and time activities for students in kindergarten or first grade. (I was just looking for one of these for a Treasures unit in first grade, great timing!). In this game, students are asked to sequence pictures based on the time of day that they happened. After sorting the photos, students must choose the correct time-of-day description to match the photo. Finally, students are given analogue clocks with various times on them. Students have to choose the correct clock to match the narration of the story.

How to integrate What’s the Time Mr. Wolf into the classroom: What’s the Time Mr. Wolf is a great short activity that helps students practice sequencing, recognizing time-of-day high frequency words, and reading an analogue clock. The activity is narrated and builds listening and direction-following auditory skills. What’s the Time Mr. Wolf is a short and sweet activity that students can complete independently. The game includes progress monitoring and provides students immediate feedback as they interact with it.

Tips: What’s the Time Mr. Wolf is another free game from Sherston. They also sell this game as part of a complete software package.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using What’s the Time Mr. Wolf in your classroom.

Captain Coordinate

May 19, 2010Kelly Tenkely3 Comments2635 views

What it is: Captain Coordinate is a fun, fully narrated, interactive game that teaches students about geography and scale. The game is one of the “Freebes” from Sherston. Students can choose from three difficulty levels to help Captain Coordinate put up wanted posters in several locations. They are given the scale of the map and can see the coordinates of the map. Students determine how far East, West, North, or South they must go based on the scale to put up the posters.

How to integrate Captain Coordinate into the classroom: Captain Coordinate is a fun way for your students to practice geography, map, and math skills all in one activity. The entire game is narrated making it nice for a center activity or independent computer activity. This is a great little practice site that responds to student input and has built in progress monitoring and immediate feedback for students.

Tips: Sherston has a variety of software for the classroom for purchase, but there are also a lot of free activities to take advantage of online.

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

Chess Kid

May 17, 2010May 17, 2010Kelly Tenkely4 Comments3291 views

What it is: Chess Kid is a fantastic way for kids to learn to play the game of chess and then practice their game against kids from around the world. The Chess Kid environment is safe and secure for kids, students have no contact with strangers. A parent or a teacher manages all access and friendships online and can easily monitor all activity. On Chess Kid students learn the rules and strategies of chess and work to improve their game, memorization skills, patience, and sportsmanship. Students can train with tactic puzzles and exercises, view video lessons, practice tactic against the computer, or read chess articles. Chess games can be played online against other kids from around the world, in online tournaments, blitz chess, or against the computer.

How to integrate Chess Kid into the classroom: Chess is a great game that is packed full of skills that help students in other disciplines such as math. Students must use problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, deductive and inductive reasoning, and the ability to make accurate judgments and estimates as they play. Chess makes for a great mental workout and develops skills necessary for solving other problems. Chess Kid is a place where students can learn how to play the game of chess, and then practice through play with kids from around the world or the computer. Chess Kid can be used with the whole class for lessons and learning the how-to aspect of chess on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Students can then play on classroom computers, as a math center, or individually in a computer lab setting.

Tips: The American Chess Foundation published that chess can improve a child’s visual memory, attention span, spatial reasoning skills, capacity to predict and anticipate consequences, and the ability to use criteria to drive decision making and evaluate alternatives.

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

Goldburger To Go: Rube Goldberg Machines

May 14, 2010May 14, 2010Kelly Tenkely7 Comments8996 views

What it is: I am always finding fun activities on PBS kids site, today I ran across Goldburger to Go! Rube Goldberg designed machines that made simple, every day, tasks into complicated activities with the help of his contraptions (think Wallace and Gromit). The students task is to design a machine that will help serve lunch. The machine isn’t working properly and students must discover which pieces of the machine need a little tweaking. As students complete the machine, they can test it out and get hints and clues about could be keeping the machine from working.

How to integrate Goldberger To Go: Rube Goldberg Machines into the classroom: Students are fascinated with machines that work together to perform tasks. Goldburger to Go is a fun way to challenge your students to think about cause and effect and to consider how all the working parts operate together. The puzzle game is a good way to get your students thinking about and discussing different types of energy. Use this website with the whole class using an interactive whiteboard and discuss the types of energy as they occur. Walk your students through the scientific process as they hypothesize what is going to happen and experiment with adjusting the machine accordingly. The website also lends itself nicely to studying different kinds of simple machines. The built in hints help guide stumped students in their thinking. Goldburger to Go would make a fun center activity or even to play individually in a computer lab setting. This is one of those thinking games that my students could spend hours playing.

Tips: Students can create and build their own real-life Goldberg machines with fun activities and suggestions found here.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Goldburger to Go: Rube Goldberg Machines in your classroom.

Samarost

May 14, 2010Kelly Tenkely12 Comments1602 views

What it is: Samarost is an intriguing flash website where students are dropped in the middle of a strange new universe where they must solve a variety of challenging puzzles. Students play a character that they must help save from an asteroid collision. There are no instructions on how to play the game, students simply use their best reasoning and deduction to solve the puzzles. With multiple levels, students can put those observational and reasoning skills to good use. I like that there are no instructions or hints about how to play the game, students learn how to play as they interact with the site.

How to integrate Samarost into the classroom: Samarost is an excellent challenge puzzle that will make students think in new ways and work to solve a problem. I like the idea of solving the problems as a class using an interactive whiteboard or projector connected computer. Students can offer each other suggestions and tips about why a course of action might help solve the puzzle. There are enough levels to solve for each student to get a turn at the board. Samarost could also be played on individual computers in a lab setting or on classroom computers as an on-going center activity. If this is a center activity that many students will visit and work on together, you can have each student keep observational notes of what they have done and what they have tried to help the next student who visits the center. Since there are no rules or back story to this site, it would be fun to incorporate it into a creative writing project. Students could create a back story and explanation of what is happening to the character in Samarost.

Tips: This game is best for students who are 9 or older.

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

Moppet Games

May 11, 2010Kelly Tenkely6 Comments2991 views

What it is: Moppet Games is a website for 3-8 year old kids. There are only a few games on the site right now but they are fun, quick games that students will enjoy. Students can play photo hunt where they discover differences between two sets of pictures (like the picture hunts in Highlights magazine), memory with shapes, hangman, word search, or math worm. The math worm game is one that students will enjoy for practicing their math facts. In the game, students play a worm who must keep from getting eaten by a bird. To move the worm, students must quickly answer simple addition and subtraction problems. As they are working, the bird gets ominously closer, they have to be quick with that fact recall! There are two game levels for math worm: easy and hard. The easy version quizzes on facts less than 10 and the bird moves slowly. In the hard version, the facts are a little more challenging and the bird moves much more quickly toward the worm.

How to integrate Moppet Games into the classroom: I like using these short, flash games for those extra minutes that students have in the classroom. Maybe they finished a project early, are waiting for their turn at a center, or have a few minutes before it is time to pack up for the day and go home… in these instances it is nice to have a game that is fun, keeps students thinking, and is quick to complete. My favorite of the games is the math worm game, it is a fun way to practice simple addition and subtraction without the flashcards. If you have access to an interactive whiteboard, make the math worm game into a whole class relay. Line up students at the board, each student completes a problem and then passes the pen to the next student in line. See if your class can outsmart that hungry bird! Use the other games as a fun incentive to line up quietly. Put one of the activities up on the interactive whiteboard and call students who are quiet and ready to line up to come up and solve part of the puzzle. By the time the puzzle has been completed the class will be lined up and ready to go. The students who miss out on helping to solve the puzzle are those who weren’t following directions or chatting when they shouldn’t be. This has been a great classroom management incentive in my classroom, all of the students want to be involved in the game.

Tips: Moppet Games is advertising free, you have to appreciate that!

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