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ShowMe - The Online Learning Community - San Kim and Karen Bdoyan
Grades
K to 12tag(s): blended learning (28), OER (50), test prep (71), tutorials (50)
In the Classroom
Extend your blended learning classroom by sharing the ShowMe site (or individual videos) with your students to access at home for homework help using the Facebook, X, (was Twitter), email, or embed link on each video. List the ShowMe link on your class website. View tutorials on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as a whole class. Encourage students to share links to specific videos they find helpful on a "Video Reviews" page of your class wiki. For a very real challenge, have students create their own simple review videos using the ShowMe app on iPads (if available) then embed them on your class wiki for a year-to-year student-made study guide! For examples of sophisticated topics simplified in whiteboard stick figure videos, see Common Craft.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Critical Past Stock Footage Archive - Jim and Andy Erickson
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 20th century (168), afghanistan (6), africa (162), american revolution (93), china (79), europe (82), north america (15), south america (80)
In the Classroom
Use photos or videos on Critical Past to help illustrate what students are learning in history. Ask students to be "eyewitnesses" of history and watch a video before they have context for it. Students can write or blog about what they think they are witnessing. Afterward they can research the event in more depth and write a follow-up reflection on what was actually happening in the clip. Challenge your students to use a site such as Sutori, reviewed here, to create timelines of topics researched on the site. Use images from public domain sites, such as the collections, reviewed here, to illustrate the events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ThinkExist - Harold S. Geneen
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): famous people (40), quotations (18), writing prompts (55)
In the Classroom
Use the site to have a quote of the day (or week) for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share the site with students to use when in need of a quote for classroom projects. Find writing prompt quotes based on a search term. In literature or social studies classes, look at the list of quotes by an author or a famous person. Invite students to create online posters (or traditional bulletin boards) about the author/person using selected quotes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Adobe Express Image Editor - Adobe
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): editing (90), images (267), photography (136)
In the Classroom
Before asking students to use Adobe Express Image Editor, demonstrate how to create and save images. Consider recording a tutorial using Free Screen Recorder Online, then sharing a link on student and classroom devices. Discuss copyright and fair use best practices when editing images. Use Adobe Image Editor to enhance students' presentations and stories. For example, remove the background from a student's picture and then add a background with them in a location or setting that is part of their project. Choose a background image of a city being studied, a different time, or a far-away setting like the moon, then place your student image on top. Resize the image to fit the scene. Include this image as a starter for class projects. Use pictures on top of book covers for book talks, create images for story characters and heroes, or use them for weather reports. In art classes, look at the possibilities of quality photography. In upper-grade technology classes, create free galleries for each student (over 13) and highlight some of the latest photo editing software and apps. Use in science classes as a way to store data in digital images. In language arts, create stories through photos or make wordless picture books.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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edublogs - edublogs.org
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): blogs (77), communication (122), writing (309)
In the Classroom
Save this site as a favorite for all of your blogging needs. Find very informative instructions on blogging, and follow the student blogging challenge lesson plans. 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. Peruse through the various subjects and discover how other teachers use blogging in their classrooms. Using the given PDFs on blogging start up, parent guidelines, incorporating into subject areas, and adapt to make them suitable for you. Look at a variety of examples to help devise your own unique style to meet your students' needs.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Oh Freedom! Teaching African American Civil Rights Through American Art at the Smithsonian - Smithsonian American Art Museum
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): african american (130), art history (104), artists (99), black history (131), civil rights (219)
In the Classroom
This site is a must for any Art, Art History, or Social Studies classroom. The program really lends itself to having a discussion. Visit the Artists area, choose an artist, and project the artwork on an interactive whiteboard. Using the "looking questions," have a class discussion. Assign groups and give each group a different picture. Let them discuss using the questions and then jigsaw them so they can share each other's answers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Picturing US History - American Social History Project at CUNY
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): african american (130), civil war (145), colonial america (97), slavery (79)
In the Classroom
The site offers several "lessons in looking." Project the site on an interactive whiteboard and use the discussion questions to guide students through a look at history. The site provides a way for you to zoom into the artwork so students can get up and personal as if they were in a museum. Use the zoom tool to assist you with your classroom discussion.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Book TV - National Cable Satellite Corporation & C-SPAN
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): biographies (96), independent reading (83), interviews (17), politics (124)
In the Classroom
Use the online resources from this website to accompany your nonfiction literature. This collection is particularly useful when reading about historical figures. Make books and authors come alive for your students by accessing and projecting videos on your interactive whiteboard and sharing "Book Notes," biographies, and more. Lure students into independent reading by allowing them to explore the videos and find a book they might enjoy reading. After viewing a program or reading a book, have students share their opinions in a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Canva Inforgraphic Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thunks - Get Thunking - Ian Gilbert
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): logic (166), problem solving (275), questioning (37)
In the Classroom
Display a Thunk on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as a discussion/debate starter. Have students choose a response and defend their answer. Allow students to discuss their answer throughout the week and survey responses again. Have students create their own Thunks to be discussed in class. Create a bulletin board and allow students to post comments and reactions to the question posed. Use a Thunk as a journal writing prompt. Make this page available for students who are "stuck" thinking of something to write about.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Skloog - Skloog, LLC
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
This resource is best used as a teacher sharing tool for sharing links, RSS feeds, and other resources for students to use on specific projects or as general course links. Use this site to share with other professionals, team members, or parents. Use the categories to save bookmarks for different units you have in your classroom. Make your Skloog page the homepage for your computer, too.Consider having a category for student use for webquests, tools you want them to use, and creative commons images, music, etc. Also, create a category where students update with suggestions from class members. Use different colored alphabet tiles on a Skloog for younger, non-reader students. For example, give each subject its own distinctive color. They will also recognize logos well before they read!
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How To Make Digital Flashcards With Google Docs Spreadsheets - MakeUseOf
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): flash cards (44)
In the Classroom
Create flashcards to share with your students. Students can run them from a computer or download an app that can read the two column format of a spreadsheet to view on the go. All information for using the flashcards is explained in this resource. Use for any subject matter for any age. Challenge students to create their own flashcards to use to study for the big test! This tool can be used in ALL subject areas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Power My Learning - CFY
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): operations (71)
In the Classroom
Set up a teacher account so you can offer a "playlist" for certain students who may need skills reinforcement. If you want to know more about some of the specific activities within PowerMyLearning, TeachersFirst most likely has a complete review of them. Search the name of the game or site using TeachersFirst's keyword search for our full review. PowerMyLearning offers lesson plans for some activities and invites you to contribute your own, if you wish.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Picturing Words: The Power of Book Illustrations - Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Grades
6 to 10tag(s): artists (99), medieval (38), primary sources (134), renaissance (38)
In the Classroom
History and English teachers studying the Medieval time period can show the primary source of the illuminated alphabet script on The Canon of Medicine. Then have students create a mini-bio for themselves, starting with illuminating the first letter of their name. Use this site to study how the power of pictures can enhance text. The Process section explains how the Gutenberg Press used wood blocks or metal cuts along with the letterpress to print a book with images. Have your students view the "Process" part of this site, and look at several books printed in the Gutenberg time period. You may want them to further investigate the workings of the Gutenberg Press and what it took to make a book (materials and time). Then have your students make a simple, illustrated book using a program like Bookemon reviewed here. Have them use a timeline tool such as Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shmoop Snoops the Gods - Shmoop
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): greek (45), greeks (45), myths and legends (44), romans (52)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use in any history, literature, or social studies class. Use the site to engage your students in the study of mythology. Use the site on an interactive whiteboard to read about a different god each day. Have students work in groups to create a similar site for a god that isn't represented. Since the site is broken down into different areas like, wall, emails and gossip, have students extend the site by creating new content for each area of the site. The site also has a nice collection of photos that can be used in reports or for other projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NOVA Body and Brain - NOVA/PBS
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): carbon dioxide (9), carbon footprint (8), earth (194), environment (253), human body (98), nuclear energy (19), nutrition (135), solar energy (35), space (248)
In the Classroom
Discover some terrific lessons about a variety of topics. For example, under Environment, find a great lesson for Capturing Carbon: Where Do We Put It? Find background information to understand the material and questions for discussion that can be used with your class. Find additional resources along the side.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How Our Laws Are Made - Mike Wirth
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): branches of government (70), civics (129), congress (40)
In the Classroom
Use the graphic as an introduction to a detailed discussion. Share the site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Use it to reinforce the process once you've taught the lesson. Encourage students to bookmark it to review or test their understanding. Anyone who teaches civics, government or US history will be able to use this graphic on an interactive whiteboard. For that matter, it should be required viewing for citizens and politicians alike!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Draw Island - DrawIsland.com
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): drawing (57), graphic design (49)
In the Classroom
Allow students to create collaborative drawings through this site as responses to literature. Share the finished products on an interactive whiteboard, projector, or your class website. Have a group of students create a drawing, then another group can use that as a story prompt. Use this site with students in a computer lab (or on laptops) setting to create a drawing of the setting of a story as it is being read aloud. Have students create an online book of images and captions about any topic using saved images withMy Storybook, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Indian Response to Environmental Changes - National Museum of the American Indian
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): environment (253), native americans (130), natural resources (33)
In the Classroom
Project this site on an interactive whiteboard and watch the videos on each of the tribes. If you have laptops available, have students navigate on their own. Have the class take the included interactive quizzes to see what they've learned. Group students and have each group read about a different tribe. Then using the online story project planner, have students create a presentation about their tribe that can be uploaded to the site. Be sure to visit the teacher area for lesson plans, links and other resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Trello - Fog Creek Software
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (129), graphic organizers (57), organizational skills (90)
In the Classroom
Use this site in the classroom for organizing any long term project such as a research report or collaborative projects. Create a board for each group with a timeline and assign parts for each project. Gradually release the responsibility from one project to the next, asking students to create their own task lists so they learn time management. Teachers of learning support and gifted will love this tool as a way to teach organizational skills. Share it with parents to support their organizationally challenged students. Yearbook or school newspaper advisors may want to consider this site for organizing and assigning tasks. Share this site with your school's PTA as a resource for organizing and planning school events.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ThingLink - Thinglink.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): bookmarks (34), DAT device agnostic tool (129), game based learning (304), gamification (93), images (267)
In the Classroom
Use digital images of lab experiments or class activities to share on a class wiki or blog, incorporating clickable enhancements that offer additional information. Have students add links, a blog reaction, or an explanation to their project or experiment image. Use the site for making a photography or art portfolio blog. Have students annotate images to explain their work or various techniques they used. World language or ENL/ESL teachers can enhance images by adding links to sound files or other explanations to facilitate better understanding. Use in world language to label items in an image with the correct words in that language. Young students could write simple sentences to practice language skills while explaining about a favorite picture or activity. Use in Science to explain the experiment or in a Consumer Science class to explain cooking or other techniques. Consider creating a class account for student groups to use together. Teachers can create a Thinglink of an image with questions and links that students must investigate to respond as a self-directed learning activity. An image of a tree could have questions and links about types of leaves, photosynthesis, and the seasons, for example. Gifted students could create a collection of annotated images that link to sound files to add "personalities" to science objects (think of the talking trees in the Wizard of Oz) or create an annotated image of a almost anything they research to go beyond regular curriculum they have already mastered: Annotate an image of a food product to link to information about its sources and potential harms. Annotate an image of a campaign poster and "debunk" its claims with links to video clips that show the politician in action, etc. Annotate an advertisement with links to its propaganda techniques. Teens with a sophisticated sense of humor will especially enjoy linking to ironic examples that debunk or offer a satire of the original!Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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