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Online Teen Safety - StaySafe.org
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): cyberbullying (44), internet safety (121), social media (61)
In the Classroom
Include the information from this site with your other resources for teaching about online safety. Instead of creating a list of links for students, share safety tips with students by replacing the list using a bookmarking tool like Padlet, reviewed here, to share all resources including videos, websites, and more in one place. Invite students to add their own resources to the Padlet as a collaborative activity on internet safety. Create quizzes using Baamboozle, reviewed here, as a formative assessment during your online safety unit. Baamboozle is a quick and easy quiz creation tool to replace paper and pencil. Divide the class into groups to research the different topics found on this site then let them create their own Baamboozle quizzes for their classmates. Instead of teaching online safety in individual lessons, consider using Use Nearpod, reviewed here, to create all of your lessons. Have students follow at their own pace and use tools with the Learning Paths to offer differentiation for the abilities and interests of your students. To modify learning and further challenge students, have them create their own internet safety Learning Paths for classmates to complete.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The United States Diplomacy Center - United States Department of State
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): animals (275), cross cultural understanding (178), debate (39), migration (45), nuclear energy (19), oceans (143), pollution (55), water (104)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free materials to immerse students in learning about current events topics through a global lens. One important component of these lessons includes the task of completing a series of formal and informal discussions on each topic. As students identify key topics and information, enhance their learning by asking them to use Lino, reviewed here, to create digital sticky notes to share among teachers and peers. Use options within Lino to color code the sticky notes to identify the group creating the note or different concepts to address throughout the simulation. Simulations also provide background information on each topic, use this information as a starting point, then have students research each topic further on their own or in groups. Share bookmarks and resources using Raindrop.io, reviewed here. In addition to sharing bookmarks, Raindrop.io includes tools for adding notes and comments for all team members to use when collaborating together. Throughout your simulation activities, use Gravity, reviewed here to modify learning and to pose essential questions discussed within the activity. Have students add video responses within Gravity to share their perspective and solutions to the different problems. As a final learning activity, provide students options for sharing their conclusions and suggestions to the simulation activities through a variety of multimedia choices. Instead of a book report or PowerPoint presentation consider asking students to create a digital book using Book Creator, reviewed here, or a multimedia presentation using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Both options offer tools for transforming students' learning to include video, images, and more to share their final conclusion and perspective on the topic included in the simulation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Read. Inquire. Write. - University of Michigan
Grades
6 to 10tag(s): civil war (145), colonial america (97), concept mapping (18), debate (39), democracy (29), evaluating sources (45), greece (46), inquiry (34), maps (224), mexico (70), middle east (51), native americans (130)
In the Classroom
Instead of using paper documents, scan the included PDF or Word documents into Google Classroom or your school student/teacher platform to share and assign to students. Be sure to include mentor texts for student use. Enhance student learning by asking students to use highlighting and note-taking tools within their word document to provide documentation for their responses. Although this site includes many high-quality graphic organizers, create your own and using Diagramo, reviewed here to engage students and personalize for your classroom use. Have students use a digital portfolio tool to share their investigations. Spaces, reviewed here includes many resources for creating online portfolios and web pages. Consider sharing the activities found on this site with your peers as a model for redesigning lessons you already use in your classroom. Use Padlet, reviewed here to collaborate and share ideas, activities, and resources as you work toward incorporating inquiry lessons into your classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Engaging Congress - Indiana University
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): branches of government (68), commoncore (61), congress (40), evaluating sources (45), primary sources (134)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games and materials on this site to use as a supplement to your current resources for teaching history and government. Instead of written notes, strengthen learning by having students use an online tool such as Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers. To compare and contrast information found in different primary sources, create a Venn Diagram. As students prepare to share their findings and summarize their learning, have them modify their learning by creating infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here to visually represent facts and information. As a final assessment for your unit using these materials, ask students to form teams to debate different sides of the issues presented. Share their debates as a podcast using Spotify for Podcasters, reviewed here. Spotify for Podcasters is a simple to use podcasting tool offering several free options for creating, hosting, and sharing podcasts. As an alternative, ask other students redefine their learning and to create multimedia presentations using Sway, reviewed here to share text, videos, images, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Eagle Eye Citizen - Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): branches of government (68), civics (128), civil rights (217), congress (40), elections (87), immigrants (51), inquiry (34), presidents (152), primary sources (134), Research (87), womens suffrage (64)
In the Classroom
Share activities from this site to introduce civics and government lessons; be sure to point out links with additional resources included after problem-solving activities. Share a link to this site on your class website for students to use at home. Replace written notes and help students organize information using a mind mapping tool like Coggle, reviewed here. Use Coggle to create and share colorful diagrams with included text and images. As students continue through the unit, have them enhance their learning by including their diagram on a website sharing their knowledge of civics concepts or discussing the historical event studied. Webnode, reviewed here, is a free website creator offering premade templates and easy to use tools. Transform student learning at the next level and ask them to create a book for younger students to teach them about the event studied using Book Creator, reviewed here. For example, when learning about the three branches of government ask students to create a digital book explaining the functions of the three branches. Book Creator allows you to include videos, images, audio recordings, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Outrider - Outrider Foundation
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): atomic bomb (7), climate (101), climate change (113), nuclear energy (19), weather (177)
In the Classroom
Include this site with your resources for teaching both of these timely topics. Collaborate with your students and extend learning by bookmarking and saving additional resources using Netboard, reviewed here. In addition to saving bookmarks, Netboard includes the option for adding notes to shared resources. Encourage students to use this feature to describe useful information found on any website. As students explore these topics, use Gravity, reviewed here to enhance learning by creating video response questions for student discussion. Use Gravity to record video or audio''?prompts or create screen recordings to share.''?Encourage students to redefine their learning and problem solve solutions by creating video explainers describing the problem and proposed solutions using a video explainer tool like Google Slides, reviewed here. .Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fake It To Make It Game - Amanda Warner
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): journalism (74), news (223), newspapers (88), problem solving (275)
In the Classroom
More than ever, understanding the use of media to manipulate readers is a critical skill. Use this game as a supplement to lessons on verifying news sources and fact-checking. Help students discover trigger words found in fake news articles by creating lists of sensational words. Replace word lists with a word cloud creator like Wordsift, reviewed here, to help visualize the use of trigger words found in online news. Have students find fake news online to analyze for misrepresentations of facts. Instead of doing this as a pencil and paper project, ask students to transform their learning and use Image Annotator, reviewed here, to share an image of the article and add links, images, and videos to "debunk" false information. As students become more familiar with recognizing fake news, have them use a comic creation tool like ToonyTool, reviewed here, to modify their learning by creating single frame cartoons with tips for avoiding false information then share these comics on your class or school webpage.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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#ThisIs18 Around the World - New York Times
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): cross cultural understanding (178), cultures (292), women (189)
In the Classroom
Be sure to allow some time for students to explore all of the information shared in this incredible interactive. After students have looked through this site on their own, take a deeper look together by displaying the site on your interactive whiteboard and discussing together as a class. Have student share the portions that had the deepest impact on them, compare and contrast their everyday life to those in the interactive, and define topics for further exploration. Use this site as a starting point for a biography project or unit on cultures within your school or community. One great resource for starting a biography and enhancing student learning is the Cube Creator, reviewed here. Instead of just using written notes, extend students' learning by challenging them to take audio recordings of interviews using Vocaroo, reviewed here. Use #ThisIs18 as a model to create your own interactive sharing student interviews and biographies. Sway, reviewed here, is an excellent multimedia tool to enhance learning and for publishing and sharing content. Include audio and video interviews, student writing, and more to create your storytelling project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Project Look Sharp - Project Look Sharp, Ithaca College
Grades
K to 12tag(s): american revolution (92), climate change (113), critical thinking (179), environment (254), martin luther king (41), media literacy (122), middle east (51), nutrition (135), OER (50), presidents (152), russia (33), social media (61)
In the Classroom
Become acquainted with these free curriculum kits and lessons to integrate media literacy within content already taught in the classroom. As you teach lessons found on the site, incorporate technology to enhance learning and build student understanding by using WordSift, reviewed here, to introduce and develop vocabulary as a prereading strategy or older students can use either as they are reading. Incorporate images with annotations to help students understand "big picture" ideas using Image Annotator, reviewed here. For younger students create a Image Annotator as a class to add text, video, and more to images. Ask older students to create their own Image Annotator sharing information learned throughout your lessons. Be sure to share all of your images on your class website for students to view at any time. To transform classroom technology use and as a culminating activity, use a digital book creation tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, as an alternative assessment to quizzes or tests. Include student-created writing, Annotated images, and add videos with student commentary within each book. Be sure to provide students with your rubric to use as a guide before turning in digital books. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here. Whether students work individually or in groups, be sure to share your new digital library related to your lesson topic with students to review and revisit at any time!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fiskkit - John Pettus
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (179), journalism (74), media literacy (122), news (223), newspapers (88)
In the Classroom
Use Fiskkit in your classroom to teach students critical thinking and analysis skills. Share current news articles weekly with students to evaluate and discuss. After students provide their input, share the results on your interactive whiteboard, or with a projector, to review and discuss the reactions as a group. As students evaluate articles, replace paper note cards and suggest they use an online note-taking tool similar to Webnote, reviewed here, to justify their answers on Fiskkit. Webnote allows you to add sticky notes on the computer workspace and share with others using the URL created. Challenge students to find articles they would like to discuss, save, and collaborate on using Raindrop.io, reviewed here. Raindrop.io offers you tools to bookmark and save websites, with the additional feature of allowing participants to add comments to saved information. Raindrop.io can be used for a variety of assignments in any classroom that is integrating technology as an enhancement. Instead of a written report, as students become more comfortable with evaluating online tools, ask them to use a multimedia presentation tool like Sway, reviewed here, to modify technology use and to discuss media bias and offer tips for evaluating online information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Moment Zero - Pilot
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): earthquakes (52)
In the Classroom
There is a learning curve to using this site, be sure to take some time to explore the options on how to find different areas and information that is available. Consider choosing a couple of "tech-savvy" students to become experts on using the site. Ask them to use Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to record instructions about finding information, share these tutorials on your class website for student use. As students gather information and statistics from the site, use this as part of a larger activity as you learn about earthquakes. Create a class account for Google My Maps, reviewed here, and enhance student learning by recording earthquake activity around the world as they occur. Have students add images, videos, and vital statistics to this ongoing project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew - Childnet International
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): charactered (86), digital citizenship (108), internet safety (121)
In the Classroom
Any teacher will benefit from the free materials and activities on this site to teach online safety to students either directly through these materials or as additional resources to their current online safety materials. As a substitute for links on paper or in a word processing tool, use a bookmarking tool like Symbaloo, reviewed here, to share online resources with students on classroom computers and your class website. Enhance student understanding by challenging students to create digital books teaching online safety using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator includes tools for adding videos, images, and more into books.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Expii Solve - Expii, Inc.
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): cultures (292), holidays (285), logic (166), problem solving (275)
In the Classroom
Be sure to save these puzzles for use throughout the school year. Use these problems as a substitute for your typical homework assignments. Include questions as part of math or science centers. Replace pencil and paper journals or notebooks by having students blog about their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here. Ask groups of students to work on topics together then share their results with the class. To enhance student learning and understanding, consider instituting a recurring podcast for students to share problems and discuss problem-solving strategies. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History Tech - Glenn Wiebe
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): back to school (50), branches of government (68), digital storytelling (166), game based learning (304), maps (224), politics (124), primary sources (134), social media (61), teaching strategies (68)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to reference throughout the school year. Use the keyword search option to find ideas for specific units or technology tools to use. Use a bookmarking tool like Wakelet, reviewed here, to collect and share information from this blog along with your other resources. As you gather lesson ideas and create your unit, use Nearpod, reviewed here, to create differentiated lesson activities for your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Aquation - Smithsonian Science Education Center
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): conservation (109), DAT device agnostic tool (129), game based learning (304), recycling (45), water (104), weather (177)
In the Classroom
Include this activity with any unit on the environment, water cycles, or weather. Extend this activity further to learn more about water conservation in your community. Ask students to take pictures around the school or at home showing the inefficient use of water. Use PhotoCollage, reviewed here, and have students create a collage of their images to use as a starting point for research. Ask students to enhance their learning and upload their collage to a blog, and write, analyze, and share ideas for water conservation based on their collage. Use a blog tool such as edublogs, reviewed here. Use Nearpod, reviewed here, to create a differentiated learning experience for your students for your entire unit. Add videos, quizzes, embed this game, and add all the information for students to follow. Nearpod offers options for differentiation to cater to students' varying interests and ability levels. Ask older students to enhance their learning by creating their own Learning Path, which will enable them to demonstrate and share their learning throughout the unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Budgeting for the Future - Committe for a Responsible Federal Budget
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (93), politics (124)
In the Classroom
Share this interactive with students to increase understanding of different budget options. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast options found in different plans.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Reformer: An Interactive Tool to Fix Social Security - Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (93), politics (124)
In the Classroom
Include this interactive with your other resources on lessons about government and government spending. Before making choices on the interactive, ask students to interview and record relatives to get their input on Social Security financing. Students may not understand a lot of vocabulary and terms related to Social Security, get a fast assessment of their understanding using Baamboozle, reviewed here. This is a quick and easy game creator that offers users multiple types of games for two teams and keeps score as you play. Consider asking students to create podcasts discussing different issues related to Social Security. Choose from several different free podcasting tools including Spotify for Podcasters, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Fiscal Ship - Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at Brookings
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): branches of government (68), financial literacy (93), game based learning (304)
In the Classroom
Share this game with students as part of your study of government and economics. Choose YouTube video explanations of taxes and entitlements to help students understand these topics, then use a tool like edpuzzle, reviewed here, to add questions and comments to the videos to increase student understanding. Ask students to explore one of the topics found during the game and create an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Center for News Literacy - Stony Brook University
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): internet safety (121), journalism (74), news (223), newspapers (88)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to stay up to date on the latest information on news literacy. Take advantage of the free lessons and courses to include with your lessons on evaluating news and news sources. Ask students to review online news and take notes with a tool such as Webnote, reviewed here; tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions with you and their peers. Ask students to create a screencast using Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here. In their screencast ask them to share different online articles and compare and contrast information shared by different sources. Share with parents as a resource for finding information to discuss with their student regarding the reliability of information and sources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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One World Education Student Writing - Eric Goldstein and Emily Chiariello
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): persuasive writing (50), sociology (24), writing (309)
In the Classroom
Share the student writing samples with your class to model grade-level writing and research skills. On your interactive writing board upload an example and use highlighting and drawing tools to point out examples of good writing including use of specific examples, text structure, and vocabulary. Ask students to share their first draft on a site like Peergrade, reviewed here. This site allows teachers to create an assignment with a rubric and automatically distributes uploaded assignments to peers for review. As a follow-up, after students complete their writing project, ask them to create podcasts sharing additional information and reflections on the social justice issue they researched. Buzzsprout, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for creating and sharing podcasts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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