Interactive Word Tree

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Interactive Word Tree2281 views

 

What it is: The Interactive Word Tree is perfect for use on your new Wiimote Whiteboard (or any other interactive whiteboard.) The Word Tree allows students or teachers to input up to 26 phonemes or words that become apples on the interactive tree.

How to integrate the Interactive Word Tree into your curriculum: The Interactive Word Tree is very flexible based on your classroom needs. Type in short vowel and long vowels and have the students take turns moving all the short vowel words to one side of the tree and all the long vowel words to the other side. Or, type in spelling words and have students move the apples into alphabetical order. Or, type in science vocabulary and students can categorize words on the tree based on similarities. You can also type in words that form compound words, prefixes and suffixes, etc. for students to practice matching apples. It would also be a wonderful tool for matching rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms, the possibilities are truly limitless since you can type in your own words. Another great feature: your words are automatically saved in the list even if you close the web browser so you don’t have to re-type in the words or vocabulary each day. You can add, delete, or change words at any time. Such a cool tool! As I am writing this I keep thinking of additional uses like preparing for a matching test, simple math problems with the problem on one apple and the answer on another.

Tips: You don’t have to use this great tool with the interactive whiteboard, it would also be a great center for the one to two computer classroom or even for use in the computer lab.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Interactive Word Tree in your classroom.

Wiimote Whiteboard in action

Kelly Tenkely5 Comments on Wiimote Whiteboard in action2537 views

So here it is…I finally got a few quiet min to get a video made. It isn’t the greatest but hopefully it will show you just how great the Wiimote Whiteboard is. My students are going nuts for it. As soon as they walk into my classroom I hear “Sweet a Wii, are we using a Wii today?” It immediately hooks them, not sure how long that benefit will be there but for this week I am loving it!

Kindle Lab

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Kindle Lab2947 views

What it is: Carrying on with the interactive whiteboard awesomeness, here is free interactive whiteboard software for your Wiimote Whiteboard. If you have a Mimio, e-beam, Smartboard, Active Board, or Promethean, this software will also work with them! Kindle Lab will run on both PC and Mac. Now, I could give you a long explanation of everything that Kindle Lab can do but I am of the mindset that a picture (or in this case video) is worth a thousand words and can do a much better job of it than I can….

 

 

How to integrate Kindle Lab into your curriculum: Kindle Lab is meant to be used to enhance all of your existing curriculum. No matter what subject you are teaching Kindle Lab, along with your Interactive Whiteboard, can bring the lesson to life for your students. The range and scope of what Kindle Lab can do for your classroom is so broad and all encompassing that for me to give you some ideas here would really be silly. Download Kindle Lab, the PDF of the Kindle Lab tools and start exploring. I promise it will be pretty apparent to you how seamlessly this could be used for any subject at any level. So cool!

Tips: At the end of the video clip above, you may have noticed another tool which is called Eduism. This is a 3-D interactive environment that was created for the classroom. It is also a free to use open source project that is meant to be used with the Interactive Whiteboards. Be sure to check it out!

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

Wiimote Whiteboard

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Wiimote Whiteboard1645 views

So, my personal Wiimote video is still a work in process but if you get as excited as I do about the thought of a $45 interactive whiteboard you need something to tide you over. This is Johnny Lee’s explanation of the Wiimote Whiteboard, he is the creator of the PC version. If you are interested in creating your own interactive whiteboard follow the links below:

PC Wiimote Whiteboard

Mac Wiimote Whiteboard

$45 Interactive Whiteboard

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on $45 Interactive Whiteboard1632 views

Did that grab your attention? Thank goodness for people who are much, much smarter than me who can figure this out! If you haven’t heard there really is a way to get an interactive whiteboard for $45…you will have to brave the DIY but it is pretty simple. All you need is a Wiimote (you know the Wii, that thing your students talk about all the time), a projector, a computer, and a infared pen that you make yourself (or buy). That is it! I am SO excited about this today because I found out how to get the Wiimote to work on a Mac this weekend! It has been available for the PC for some time. I have to say, I have seen the PC version in use and it is a little buggy…it still works great it just requires a very specific bluetooth. Since my MacBook has built in bluetooth it was no problem at all. I will post my step by step process tomorrow with any luck, it is my non stop teaching day so we will see if I can fit it all in.

Apple makes you more creative…

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Apple makes you more creative…1126 views

I read this article on March 25th in the Wall Street Journal and am just getting the opportunity to post it. I’m pretty sure I always knew this was true 🙂

“You don’t need to be a Mac owner to be a cutting-edge hipster. Just thinking about Apple Inc. can make you more creative.

That’s according to researchers at Duke University and the University of Waterloo, who found that exposing people to a brand’s logo for 30 miliseconds will make them behave in ways associated to that brand. In Apple’s case, that means more creativity, said Gavan Fitzsimons, one of the Duke professors who conducted the study. The study will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Scientist have long debated whether subliminal messages, the idea that subconscious exposure can shape behavior, really work. In recent years, the consensus has tended toward no. But most studies measured whether subliminal messages caused people to buy products. Mr. Fitzsimons and his colleagues wondered if the exposure resulted in behavioral changes that don’t show up on the balance sheet.

To find out, they exposed subjects to imperceptible images of brand logos for Apple and International Business Machines Corp., among others. Surveys found that people felt similarly about the two companies in ever way except creativity, where Apple came out ahead, and competence, which was IBM’s perceived strength. After exposing them to the brands, the researchers asked subjects to describe as many uses for a brick as they could.

The Apple-primed subjects averaged 30% more answers and independent reviewers also deemed their answers more creative. It’s harder to measure competence, but Mr. Fitzsimons says that IBM-primed subjects had strikingly uniform answers.

Does this mean businesses wanting to inspire creativity or competence in a handful of areas should buy Macs or IBM equipment for their offices? (IBM sold its PC division to Lenovo Group Ltd. while the study was in progress.) Mr. Fitzsimons isn’t ready to go that far: The key to shaping behavior is unconsciously planting the brand image. ”

Worthen, B. “Apple: Just Think About It.” In , (p. ). : . (Reprinted from Wall Street Journal, 2008, March 25)

So for those of you who need a jolt of creativity today…here it is:

You are welcome! 😉

Bookcasting

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Bookcasting5143 views


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What it is: Bookcasting is actually a term I made up. It is essentially a podcast about a book. My third grade students just finished their first round of Bookcast recordings that we uploaded to a Wetpaint Wiki. A Bookcast is a movie trailer-like review of a book that students create and share with one another. My students used GarageBand to record their podcasts (you could also use a free tool like Audacity) and add sound effects, then they published the Bookcast on our class G-cast account, and finally embedded the media player onto our WetPaint wiki.

How to integrate Bookcasting into your curriculum: Bookcasting is a fun alternative to the standard book report. It allows kids to be creative and gives them a great sense of audience. Bookcasting also has the added benefit of acting as a book review for other students to listen to. Bookcasting makes story retell a lot of fun! My plan is to have a link to our WetPaint wiki in the library so that students can listen to a peer review of a book before they check it out.

Tips: I had all of my students create a Bookcast on the same book before reviewing on their own. This gave them an easy starting place but still provided room for creativity. Click on the Easy Reader link on our wiki to hear the Bookcasts the students created.

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

Super Why!

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Super Why!2715 views

 

What it is: Super Why is a great new website created by PBS. Super Why is perfect for kindergarten through first grade and for remedial readers. The site focuses on helping kids gain important foundational reading skills such as alphabet, word families, spelling, comprehension, and vocabulary. The Super Why team is a group of super hero’s made up of four cartoon characters who solve problems with their reading skills, this is based on the Super Why TV show on PBS. Although the site is intended to be used in conjunction with the Super Why TV show, it is valuable as an independent reading skill tool as well. The site, games, and activities are fun and will hold the attention of your students while teaching them important basic reading skills that are needed as the foundation of literacy.

How to integrate Super Why into your curriculum: Super Why is one of those websites that is very flexible in its uses and applications. The Super Why site can be used as a center in the 1 or 2 computer classroom, independently in the computer lab setting, and as a whole class with a projector. (This is also a fun one for interactive white boards!) The online games can be played as part of your regular reading curriculum or you can print out ready made lesson plans that use the site. The lesson plans are very through and fun.

Tips: Check out the teacher section of the Super Why site for printable lesson plans, worksheets, and a great list of resources both web based and books.

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

Typing Web

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Typing Web4118 views

 

What it is: Typing Web is an awesome website I ran across yesterday. It is a free to use typing tutor, tester, and also includes games. Typing Web tracks students progress and provides a place for them to practice their most frequently mis-typed letters. Students can personalize their Typing Web site by choosing a “skin” to decorate the typing practice page. I don’t know about you, but as soon as my students can personalize anything they are hooked! The web based software makes it possible for students to practice typing from anywhere they have an Internet connected computer. There is also a NEW free iPhone or iPod Touch Typing Tutor for those that are so lucky 🙂 .

How to integrate Typing Web into your curriculum: Typing Web is best used in a computer lab setting where students can have blocks of time set aside for typing practice. You can also set up a practice center in your classroom where students can take turns practicing their typing skills. Because Typing Web is web based students can practice at home too!

Tips: Typing web has a school version where teachers have more control over the individual student set up as well as data collection. The school version is subscription based.

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

GeoGebra

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on GeoGebra2209 views

 

What it is: I’m not generally one to get excited about math especially algebra, geometry, and *uggh* calculus. But, I think if I had access to a tool like GeoGebra I might have enjoyed them (or at least understood them) more. GeoGebra is a free dynamic geometry system that lets students complete constructions with points, vectors, segments, lines, conic sections, and functions and change them dynamically afterward. Equations and coordinates can also be entered directly; this means that GeoGebra has the ability to deal with variables for numbers, vectors and points, finds derivatives and integrals of functions and offers commands like Root or Extremum. (If you didn’t catch that you are not a high school math teacher *wink*). If you are a high school or college math teacher or know someone who is…that description just made you feel a little excited. GeoGebra is a free multi-platform download.

How to integrate GeoGebra into your curriculum: Use GeoGebra to help your students understand complicated or abstract math concepts. This software is amazing for your visual learners…again a reason this should have existed when I was in school! Allow your students to explore math concepts with this software and to practice their learning. You can also use GeoGebra to create dynamic math worksheets for your students. Very cool!

Tips: Make sure to check out the examples section for some great GeoGebra uses. You can also attend free online workshops to learn how to use GeoGebra. For some great ideas and further explanation of GeoGebra check them out on Wikipedia.

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