Deb Norton Tech

Oh my goodness! December snuck up on me so quickly!  Are you ready for the holidays and for all the rigmarole? Let's take a minute to check out a few "Links and Loves" from this past week. #1 Here are some December backgrounds for your phones, tablets and computers. #2 I've finished reading this book . This is one of those novels that people either really like or really dislike. Personally I enjoyed the story and characters. The themes in this book are about loyalty, betrayal, loss, sacrifice and tragedy. I kept wondering how someone could actually have seven husbands, but each marriage was believable and I found myself sympathizing with the main character. #3 I learned about the "inspect" tool for websites from Richard Byrne through this video and I feel so techy and knowledgeable now.  I think this could be a great lesson in showing students how easy it is to create fake websites and unreliable sources of information online. #4 Slidesmania has a new slid...

Baamboozle - A fun game that can be played with your class When I first came across the site Baamboozle , I was instantly reminded of this Friends episode: Games can be so much fun and make learning truly enjoyable. Unless you are playing the game Bamboozled with Joey, Ross and Chandler. Now that I have sidetracked everyone, let's start over.  Baamboozle is a site that has featured games as well as a simple game creation tool.  There are two modes to Baamboozle : Play Game and Study Mode. Study Mode is for students to practice the content in class and Play Game is to play the game in teams. Here is an example of one of the featured games on idioms. Creating your own game is very easy.  Type in a question and the answer and choose how many points the question is worth. Add an image if you wish and click on +Add question.   Project your game in front of your class and decide which mode (study or play) you want to ...

eQuiz Show lets a person make a Jeopardy style game. There is no account needed and a game is retrieved through saving the URL. I created a game in just a few minutes. Just enter a category and then 5 questions and answers. There is room for up to 5 categories.  When launching the game, you decide how many teams are playing and eQuiz Show will keep track of the points for each team. Editing the game is simple and quick.  All that is needed is the URL that you save and a password that you set.  Here is a video tutorial: Check out my Ed Tech game by clicking here .  Use the game with your class if you would like. I highly recommend using eQuiz Show for reviewing content and engaging your students.  It is also a great tool to use gamification in your lessons or units.

It's been a while since I have shared some Friday Fun sites, so here you go: Design Your Own Animated Card City Creator   Collage Machine   Solid Edge Garage   Lite Brite Please share these with your students. 

My kids love to play Brain Quest trivia when we  travel in the car or when we are sitting around the campfire.  I recently discovered that Brain Quest has a website where kids can experience trivia questions online.   The kids can choose a level according to their age and then answer the trivia questions.  There is a section for educators which includes a Question of the Day.  I suggest checking out BrainQuest.com to see all that it has to offer.  This will be another great site for our students to explore this week for bellwork. 

Remember the magazine Highlights for Kids?     Well, they now have a website.  HighlightsKids.com is a great place for kids to learn, play and explore.  The online version is really fun.  There are Hidden Pictures, Fun Finder, Games and Giggles, Express Yourself, and much more.  I have always been a fan of the Hidden Pictures section.  We plan to use this website this week with our students for bell work.  Check out HighlightsKids.com!

This site comes to me from my colleague, Jen Erickson.  Free Rice is a site where students can answer trivia questions in the areas of English vocabulary, foreign languages, humanities, geography, math and chemistry.   Here's the neat part; for every correct answer 10 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program.  If the student answers incorrectly, the question will be repeated for another chance.  Each time a question is answered correctly, you are shown how much rice you have donated.  The more answers you get correct, the more difficult the questions get.  If you get answers incorrect, the game gets easier.   Check out Free Rice and share it with your students. I would like to thank Jen for sharing this neat site!

My students are addicted to the game Wake Up the Box .  The idea is to place objects in the correct place so that other objects move and wake up the box character.  Students work through each level as they become more challenging.  In the first two levels, the game is easy and it shows them exactly what to do.  But by the time they reach levels 5 and up, there are no more hints and students really have to think!  A quick warning, sometimes there is an ad at the beginning of the game.  It is always appropriate and students can click on Skip Ad, so no worries.  I'm predicting your students will LOVE Wake Up the Box ! And as if that isn't enough fun, there is a Wake up the Box 2 ! Wake Up the Box belongs to a site called Free Web Arcade , which offers hundreds of games.  I haven't had time to check out any others.  If you find another game worth sharing, let me know and I'll blog about it. Let me know your thoughts on  Wake Up the Bo...