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Showing posts from October, 2012

Tackk

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There is a new way to share content on the web and it is called Tackk .   Tackk is very easy to use and no registration is needed.  If you do not register, any page you create will be available for 7 days, however, if you register, your pages will be available forever.   Take a look at  my first Tackk  showing Reading Anchor Charts I plan to share with my reading group.  It only took me a few minutes to make this.  I included text, images, video and a button with a link I think there are a lot of possibilities for using Tackk with students.  They could create a poster or flyer for something they need to advertise or announce.  Students could also create pages showing their work in the classroom.   And the pages are easy to share.  Each page can have : For media, you can post a link to media that is hosted on any of the following sites. I highly recommend checking out Tackk and sharing what you or your students create with the rest of us.

Our RAP Findings

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Thank you to everyone who attended the RAP session last week.  I hope it was helpful and educational. Today I will show some of the sites and resources we gathered while exploring Pinterest: You Tube Video of the Space Jump found by Kaitlin Source: youtube.com via David on Pinterest Sub Folder found by Robin Source: organized-chaos-teaching.blogspot.com via Van on Pinterest Fun Cheers and Claps  found by Kelly Source: theapplebasketteacher.blogspot.com via Nancy on Pinterest Square Roots using the SMART Board and Dice found by Sue Source: mathequalslove.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest Activities for High School Chemistry found by Mark Source: flinnsci.com via Ann on Pinterest 6th Grade Math Notes found by Kristin Source: looseshoelaces.blogspot.com via Denise on Pinterest Monster list of iBook Tutorials found by Jen Source: appsineducation.blogspot.fr via K on Pinterest Laura

I'll Be Seeing You At Rap!

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I have been asked to present at RAP (Ripon Academy for Professional Development) this Thursday.  The topic I am going to present on is using Social Networking for Gathering Educational Resources. This should be a useful RAP session.  I live, eat, and breath Social Networking so I am very excited to share what I know! Here are some examples of different Social Networks and my search results for Election Resources: Pinterest - Election Resources Twitter search for Election Resources From this one search I found 4 resources very quickly. One , two, three and four ! Scoop.it search Using Social Networks to gather resources can be very beneficial!  I hope to see you at RAP so I can show you how!

Election Resources

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It's time to start thinking about the upcoming election.  Here are some resources I have come across recently. #1 -A You Tube video explaining the Electoral College: #2 -Rand McNally has  an interactive Electoral College Map . #3 - A You Tube video on the History of Voting: #4 -This infographic is really nice for learning about each candidate, but it may be a little too difficult for lower elementary students. #5 -  Scholastic has many resources .  I especially like the maps and games.  I plan to have my students try the game On the Road to the White House.  The Video Highlights are also very good. #6 -PBS Kids has a game called President for a Day .  There are a few other resources as well.   #7 - I like Ben's Guide to U. S. Government's explanation for How the President is Elected . #8 - CNN has a comic book interactive  about the eight steps to the White House.  #9 - Isidewith.com has a quiz you can take to find

Instagram -I Love It!

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This summer I started using an app on my iPhone called Instagram .  Instagram is used to take and share pictures.  Not that I needed to use yet another app for sharing things socially, but I kept hearing about this app from friends and from my Google Reader RSS.   So I downloaded the app and I was instantly in love with Instagram .  As soon as I signed up I found several of my friends and family who were already using Instagram and I started seeing the photos they had taken. Taking a photo is fast and fun.  Right after I take a photo I can choose a filter to trasform the look and feel of my photo.  I can then post my photo to Instagram .  I can also choose to share my photo with Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.  Here are some screen shots from Instagram:  This is a picture my son took and shared, which I can view on my Instagram.  Here is a picture I just took.  I can change the filter at the bottom and then all I have to do is touch the green checkmark to keep the

Slide.ly Has Many Great Features

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Have you tried Slide.ly yet?   Slide.ly is a site for making slideshows.  I just made my first Slide.ly and here is how it turned out: Deb's Slidely from Deb Norton on Slide.ly . Here are the awesome features of Slide.ly : You can upload your photos from Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, Google Images, Picasa or your computer.  Click on the photos from any of your sources to be included in your slideshow. Drag your photos around to put them in the order that you want. Add music to the show by using You Tube videos or Sound Cloud. Add effects to your show to make it more lively. Share your slide show on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr or Facebook. Share the link, email or embed your video on your site. I've created a lot of slide shows in my day, and I must say that Slide.ly was by far one of the easiest to use.  The options to share are many and there is even a Facebook app !

A Few Great Pinterest Finds

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Here are some great Pinterest posts I've run across lately.  I also just spent some time choosing nice looking covers for all of my Pinterest Boards.   Check them out! Responsive Classroom Source: youtu.be via JaimeB on Pinterest Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Melissa on Pinterest Source: youtube.com via Melissa on Pinterest Source: ictmagic.wikispaces.com via Jill on Pinterest

Sites with Videos that Teach!

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Last week in math I needed to teach students how to compare decimals.  I have been creating flipped video lessons for my students, but for this lesson I decided to use a video lesson that was already created. MathLive Math Live is a site with video lessons that covers four main areas. One great feature of the Math Live video is that it shows how the math skill applies to a real life skill.  In the comparing decimal video the skill was used to read the nutritional value of food labels.  The video is also interactive and is scaffolded into small chunks, which keeps the students interested and attuned.  We projected the video on our SMART board and worked our way through the lesson together.  Students completed problems on their white boards when the lesson became interactive.   I could also see students using the Math Live videos independently.   Ed.ted.com Another site that has video lessons that students really connect with is ed.ted.com .  This site allows you to

Fun with Dumpr.net

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Dumpr.net is a photo editor that does some really neat things with your photos. Check this out: Dumpr - Photo Fun Dumpr - Photo Fun Dumpr - Photo Fun Dumpr - Photo Fun Dumpr - Photo Fun Dumpr - Photo Fun Those are just a few of the fun options with Dumpr.net . Have fun giving this editor a try!

A Weebly Website Full of Web 2.0

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Web 2.0 Toolbox is Weebly website created by  Kimberly Ball, a K-5 GT teacher.  I love how simple, clean and attractive each page is.  Remember that Web 2.0 means that the content is being created and shared by someone socially. There are many categories of tools to check out: Each page offers different web 2.0 tools.  A page that really caught my attention was the Student Examples page  under the more tab. While it is nice to see lists of web 2.0 tools that are available, it is even better to see examples of what the tools look like when the product is finished. I highly recommend checking out this useful website on Web 2.0 tools.