TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of May 28, 2017

Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive

 

Less
More

Taskade - John Xie & Stan ChangKhin Boon

Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Taskade is an easy to use to-do list creator and manager. Just start typing to create a list, no registration required. As soon as you start the list, a link ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Taskade is an easy to use to-do list creator and manager. Just start typing to create a list, no registration required. As soon as you start the list, a link appears for sharing and collaborating. To save, create a free account with a username, email, and password to find and manage previous items. Taskade is not just an easy list creator; it is a very powerful tool with video conferencing, an activity feed, and recent projects. Taskade is the answer for remote teams to work together. Change the theme when you click to share a list on Facebook (but you don't have to share; just open one of them and go back to your list to change the theme). You can even add Taskade to your Chrome browser for easy access or when you open a new tab your current list will appear as the opening page!

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (125), noregistration (81), note taking (30), organizational skills (81)

In the Classroom

Create checklists of steps in a project. Place all notes in one place, so you do not forget. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have. They could use Taskade for assignment information, reminders, and more. Consider setting up a class account that can be used by all students. Spell out the use of the site and what is allowed and not allowed -- and the penalties. Set up separate accounts for student groups who can then share their notebook with other groups.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Name Picker Ninja - Zack Vogel

Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Randomly select a name for any activity with Name Picker Ninja. Add your list of names, and Go! Highlight and delete the list of names given with the tool, and ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Randomly select a name for any activity with Name Picker Ninja. Add your list of names, and Go! Highlight and delete the list of names given with the tool, and replace them with your names. Click Go! The Name Picker Ninja will scroll through the list and stop on a random name. Delete that name and continue. Alternatively, if you want to keep all names active, click Go! again.

tag(s): classroom management (107), gamification (90), preK (289)

In the Classroom

The obvious use for this tool is for selecting students to answer a question or do an activity. Other uses could include forming groups/pairs or creating seating charts. Allow students to use it when it's time to choose the next student. Instead of names, enter activities for P.E., rainy day recess activities, the next book your class will read together, or anything where you need to make a choice. Save your lists as a template with a Word doc or PDF so you can copy and paste them for reuse later.
 

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

eMargin - Birmingham City University

Grades
8 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Collaborate and annotate online using eMargin. Create an account using your email to get started. Begin annotating using text you upload from your computer, enter a URL, or copy and...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Collaborate and annotate online using eMargin. Create an account using your email to get started. Begin annotating using text you upload from your computer, enter a URL, or copy and paste text. Once text is available, use the dashboard to highlight with your choice of colors, add notes or tags, or search for specific words or phrases. Create groups to share and collaborate on annotations.

tag(s): collaboration (87), note taking (30), questioning (34)

In the Classroom

eMargin is a great tool for you (or your students) to annotate research and information on the Internet or from personal documents. Create teacher annotations or question and answer comments on pages. Ask comprehension questions or guiding questions for places you send students on the web. Ask questions that students can complete as homework to show that they accessed the web resource assigned. This tool would also be a powerful way for students to point out bias on a web page or for art students to comment on images and design elements. Create writing prompts by adding questions or comments to a webpage and sharing it with students.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

YiNote - turbonote.co

Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
  
YiNote is a Chrome browser extension allowing users to take notes while watching online videos. After installing the extension, click the icon in your browser bar while viewing any...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

YiNote is a Chrome browser extension allowing users to take notes while watching online videos. After installing the extension, click the icon in your browser bar while viewing any video to bring up a box for adding notes. YiNote adds a time stamp to match the place in the video of saved notes. Return at anytime and click on your notes to go directly to that point in the video. One-click sharing allows the option to share notes via a direct URL or through links to social networking sites.

tag(s): bookmarks (32), citations (30), curation (23), flips (4), note taking (30)

In the Classroom

After installing the YiNote extension, add notes to any online video then share with students for viewing as part of your flipped classroom lessons. Use with videos that may be too long otherwise; have students go directly to relevant portions of videos and view with your guidance supplied in the note portion. Include a note for any video you ask students to watch, then have them share their answers in an online bulletin board creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here. Or flip your classroom and have students watch the video at home and ask questions or make comments using YiNote.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

Text Mode - omarr.com

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Text Mode is an easy-to-install extension for Chrome browsers that removes all information from web pages except text. Convert distracting, hard to follow web pages into clean black...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Text Mode is an easy-to-install extension for Chrome browsers that removes all information from web pages except text. Convert distracting, hard to follow web pages into clean black and white text with a click of a button. Once installed, click the "T" on your browser toolbar to turn Text Mode on or off when viewing any page.

tag(s): media literacy (105), multilingual (73), reading comprehension (141)

In the Classroom

Install Text Mode on all classroom computers for use throughout the year. Turn distracting images off when sharing web pages with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard to help students focus on content. Use this tool in technology training with students to share how images, videos, and ads change the look of web content. Share how adding images helps viewers understand the content. Text Mode is excellent for use with ENL/ELL and special education students as a method for focusing. Share web pages with images to help students get the big picture, then remove images to deliver and understand the content offered.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

SMMRY - smmry.com

Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
Did you ever wish for a website that would summarize long articles of text? SMMRY grants your wish! Copy and paste text, PDF's, websites, or online articles into the text ...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Did you ever wish for a website that would summarize long articles of text? SMMRY grants your wish! Copy and paste text, PDF's, websites, or online articles into the text box, upload a PDF file or paste a URL to begin. Choose the number of sentences for the summary, then click the summarize box and view your summary. Some documents and PDF's may be too long and you may need to upload them rather than using the URL. Or, you could do a copy and paste into the summary box if necessary.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (219), learning disability (21), Special Needs (45), summarizing (24)

In the Classroom

Introduce SMMRY to students working on research projects as a way to quickly determine content and viability of using websites. Use to differentiate instruction with students. Use with learning support students as a resource to make content easier to understand (and shorter to read). Use SMMRY summaries when teaching how to summarize in an ENL class. Compare the summary you create as a class or in small groups with the "automated" one. Are there subtleties or important distinctions that this tool misses? As a challenge for your more critical thinkers, have them try to figure out what signals the tool uses to create its summary.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close

Less
More

iBoske - Ana M. Martin

Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
   
Create and/or browse decision-making trees with iBoske. Browse through published trees with topics including choosing a laptop or identifying species of whales. Use the search bar to...more
Here is the direct link to share this resource review. Feel free to copy and paste this URL into an email or place it on your web page or blog so others can read this TeachersFirst review:

 Close Link

Create and/or browse decision-making trees with iBoske. Browse through published trees with topics including choosing a laptop or identifying species of whales. Use the search bar to look for a specific topic of a decision tree. Create a tree by adding a title and your topic question. Add questions as needed, leading to personalized solutions. When finished, publish your project by signing up for an account using Facebook, Google, X (formerly Twitter), or LinkedIn, and share using provided links or an embed code. iBoske's video tutorials reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): concept mapping (14), debate (39), graphic organizers (50), mind map (27), persuasive writing (52)

In the Classroom

Use iBoske for many kinds of societal, political, or environmental discussions and decisions, such as paper or plastic bags, support fracking or not, etc. Use in literary discussions of alternatives faced by characters. Use in preparation for debates or persuasive writing. Generate a list of actions and alternatives and create the decision matrix. Consider using this tool for a project occurring in student neighborhoods. For example, the removal of a field and trees or the changing of the landscape for a proposed development. Use the decision-making matrix in iBoske to determine why the decision to proceed happened or should happen.

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Rating (click star to set rating):

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Close