Google Wave is the next big thing by Google that is currently released as a “preview” for people to try. It has been said to be a mix between email, wikis and instant messenger and has some excellent functions for collaboration. This short video is worth watching to get an overview of what Google Wave […]
Tools, Sites, And Apps
Speechable
Speechable is a cool website I found out about from David Kapuler’s blog. It is simply an easy way to add a speech bubble to an image. You can upload an image from your computer or a URL and photos can be shared with friends via email or on Facebook®, MySpace®, Orkut, blogs, and message […]
Great resources for your IWB by Triptico
Triptico is a UK site that provides eLearning training and support. They also have a fantastic library of classroom tools that can be used on the IWB. I found out about many of these from Kelly Tenkely’s great blog iLearn. I have blogged about Word Magnets in the past. Here are some other great tools […]
Holiday Card Exchange Project
This is the second year I have involved my class in a global Holiday Card Exchange Project. This project, organised by iEARN, matches schools up with 7 schools from around the world. The schools then prepare an envelope of cards (Christmas, Hannukah, Chinese New Year, Eid etc) which they send to each of the schools. Part of the […]
Missing my IWB!
Two weeks ago the projector for my Interactive Whiteboard stopped working and I am missing it! It’s been over 12mths since I got my Promethean IWB and I have gradually integrated it into my teaching to the point of using it for most lessons with my Grade Two students. Without the IWB, the atmosphere in […]
Explanation videos
Two sites which I often use for “how to” or “explanation” videos for my Grade Two students are the How Stuff Works video centre and Howcast site. How Stuff Works is provides “credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works”. I often use short videos from this site to assist with the explanation of a concept […]
Put a poll on your blog
Polls are great way to make your blog or website interactive and more interesting. A poll could be part of a post or as a sidebar widget. Poll Daddy and Vorbeo are two very easy to use applications that allow you to create a poll to embed on your blog or website. After you click […]
Word Magnets
Word magnets is a fantastic website for the Interactive Whiteboard or classroom computers that I read about Nik’s Learning Technology Blog. Word magnets is a tool that allows you to paste in some text and then change the text into word tiles like fridge magnets that you can drag and rearrange. Word magnets would be […]
Fun Spelling Games
GamesGames.com is a site with lots of fun and free games. Some of these games are simply “for fun” but there are some educational games which are very worthwhile for use in the classroom. My Grade Two students are enjoying the Spelling Games. There are 18 spelling games where students have to build and find words in […]
Shifts Happens: Version 4.0
Thanks to Aaron Peterson for alerting readers to the new updated “Shift Happens” video. This is the 4th version of Karl Fisch’s original thought provoking video and includes interesting facts on the changing face of technology with an emphasis on media convergence. This video was developed in partnership with The Economist and while educators are […]
Origami Craze!
The students in my Grade Two class love origami. We have used videos and applications on our iPod Touch as well as a great website called Origami Club to learn how to make all sorts of origami creations. The Howcast website has some great step-by-step origami videos. Origami iPod applications can be found at the […]
Virtual Sticky Notes as a Thinking Tool
This week Andrew Douch published a post about Wallwisher; a site for posting “sticky notes” online. Wallwisher is an online notice board maker that people can work on collaboratively. Wallwisher is very easy to use. You just click and drag sticky notes and can easily link to websites, pictures or videos on the web. Repositioning […]
Using Blogs to Find Classroom Resources
When you are looking for sites and resources to use in your classroom, you have a few options. You can try search engines such as Google however this can be like looking for a needle in a haystack at times! NB click here to view a one page “cheat sheet” of tips for making searching […]
Typing Practice
With the evolution of Web 2.0 technologies, traditional typing practice is something that has been left at the wayside a little. While most people now learn how to type but just “doing it” (typing for authentic purposes), there are some fun games on the net that you may like to use with your students to […]
Bloom’s Taxonomy in the Digital Age
Most teachers are probably familiar with the Bloom’s Taxonomy model which details the six levels of thinking from lower to higher level thinking (remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, creating). Mike Fisher, an American instructional coach and consultant has come up with an interesting revision of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model based on 21st century skills. The model incorporates online tools […]