iTeacher Tools

ICE Conference 2010

2010-02-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I am presenting at the 2010 ICE (Illinois Computer Educators) Conference in St. Charles. I am so lucky to have this awesome opportunity to share resources with my peers and my students are super excited for our Skype session tomorrow!

Glogster

2010-02-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

I heard about Glogster at the Northern Illinois Computer Educators Mini-Conference and decided it was definitely worth checking out. Glogster is a website where students and teachers can make interactive digital "posters" which can have embedded images, videoes, and links. What an awesome way to share information or for students to make a report!

Using Wordle in the Classroom

2010-02-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a wordle I made about using wordle in the classroom.

Brad Paisley - Welcome to the Future

2010-02-13T09:11:00.001-08:00

eyePlorer - awesome brainstorming tool

2009-04-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

EyePlorer is an amazing website to help students brainstorm topics, find vocabulary words associated with a topic, and to easily take notes for an assignment. Try out a topic and see for yourself!

Amazing Storytelling Website

2009-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Mrs. P. is a wonderful website where students can listen to traditional fairy tales. The website seems magical - you have to visit to understand what I am talking about. This website is a great way to bring reading and storytelling to life for younger students and reluctant readers.

Make sure to visit Mrs. P!

Brings Back Memories

2009-03-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

The following website is for anyone who remembers the Apple II computers. I remember these from my early years of elementary school. When I came across this website I ended up playing Oregon Trail for quite awhile. Those graphics used to seem amazing to me! I am interested in what my students will think of the games and graphics. We've come a long way!!!

Virtual Apple

Sqworl!

2009-03-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

Sqworl is an easy way to create lists of webpages. The appearance is very cool -your created site will feature thumbnails of webpage screen shots. Here are some ideas of how to use Sqworl as a teacher:
1. Create a list of sites for your students to use.
2. Have students research and use Sqworl to report on appropriate websites.
3. Create a homepage for yourself of frequently visited webpages.
4. Share sites with your colleagues.

It's easy, it's fast, and it's free!

http://www.sqworl.com

Check out the Sqworl page I created for the ICE conference:
http://sqworl.com/?i=729ea8

Every Teacher Should View This Video!

2009-03-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

Great Interactive Math Sites

2009-03-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

I love using virtual manipulatives and interactive sites for math centers and differentiated instruction. Here are a few of my favorites.

Cookie Fractions
I love this one because it teaches fractions with cookies!

Splatre100
Splatre100 is awesome for primary students but can also can be used in late elementary for teaching multiples, divisibility rules, and more!

LearningClip
This site is useful because it offers activities, worksheets, and notes on 3-D shapes.

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
My students absolutely loved exploring base ten pieces with this website. All the benefits of using manipulatives without the mess and clean-up time!

Great Video on Students and Technology

2009-03-01T12:22:00.001-08:00

I found this video and think it is a great example of how technology and education are changing - teachers must adapt. Check this one out!

I teach, therefore you learn... or do you? from José Picardo on Vimeo.

Digital Bloom's Taxonomy

2009-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is a cool blog that I found - check out the digital bloom's!

http://digigogy.blogspot.com/2009/02/digital-blooms-visual.html

Multiple Intelligences for Kids

2009-02-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Want a cool way to teach kids about multiple intelligences and different ways that people can be smart? Check out this website. Each alien represents a different intelligence. Which alien are you like? This website is a great way to teach kids that they can be smart in different ways!

http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/LoopCoaster/eSmartz2.html

Brainstorming Made Simple

2009-02-25T21:35:00.000-08:00

It's simple...it's FREE...it's BUBBL! Bubbl is an awesome brainstorming tool for students and adults. You can make connections, change colors, and share your brainstorming sessions with others. You can also save your brainstorming web and come back to it later. Great for a K-W-L sort of activity or for organizing information. Great for pre- or post- assessment! It is a lot like Inspiration or Kidspiration, but it doesn't have all the frills...but it's free! Check it out!

Amazing Video

2009-02-25T17:10:00.001-08:00

This is an absolutely amazing video and a true inspiration for anyone who works with children.

Make Your Own Virtual Museum & Exhibit

2009-02-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Ok I know I am a museum nerd, but these two sites are awesome! Students are given the opportunity to design their own museum or their own museum exhibit.

Thinkport offers a website where students can choose the layout of their museum and what is featured in each exhibit. When they are done creating, a code is generated so they can go back and visit their museum in the future.

Museum Box is a website that gives students the opportunity to "fill" a 3-D virutal museum exhibit. Each cube of the exhibit can have text, video, sounds, links, or pictures added to it.

What great ways to share information for a report! The possibilities are endless - U.S. Presidents, state reports, famous person, region of the United States, Ancient Egyptians...the list goes on and on and on!!!

"The Zax"

2009-02-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

I found this video and think it is a great tool to show educators the importance of change. I stumbled on this video while researching for a project for my grad class on differentiation and gifted education. Not only does this video convey the message of why teachers must change to incorporate differentiation in their classroom, but I think it sends a strong message for technology in the classroom as well. Conveying the same message as the popular "Shift Happens" video, "The Zax" illustrates that if we do not change, the world around us still changes.

Virtual Graphic Organizers

2009-02-19T19:13:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love this site and can think of endless ways of using these in my classroom! Exploratree is a website that offers virtual graphic organizers that you can change, manipulate, and fill in. They offer "thinking guides" for many uses - comparing, brainstorming, details and main ideas, etc.

You can use these in your classroom to make a graphic organizers together as a class or have students fill them out individually. What a great way for pre-assessment or on-going assessment during a unit.

http://www.exploratree.org.uk

Prezi Makes Powerful Presenatations

2009-02-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.prezi.com/

I saw a presentation created by Prezi a few weeks ago, and immediately I was hooked. I don't know about you, but PowerPoint is getting old and boring. I was thinking about PowerPoint the other day and realized that I had been using PowerPoint since the 8th grade for presentations...and that was 1997! I think that for the most part, PowerPoint is "been there, done that". I did find some game templates (Jeopardy, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader) but for the most part I am bored with it.

Prezi is a "zooming presentation editor". What exactly does that mean? Well you basically have a huge virtual space to work with and you can choose the path for the presentation to follow. To move from topic to topic, the presentation moves across this virtual space and zooms on the topic.

It's free, it's fun, and the presentations are REALLY fascinating to watch!

Classroom Use:
So how could you use Prezi in your classroom? Introduce concepts, practice vocabulary, make connections to text, biographies, timelines...the possibilities are endless! Prezi is so easy to use that your students would be able to create their own presentations easily. You can also download the presentation so it can run-alone.

Now...the Bad News (but not that bad!):
Yes, Prezi is free to use but right now it is still in its "Beta" phase. To get an account, you must request an account and tell them what you will use it for. It may take awhile for the people at Prezi to grant you an account but it is well worth the wait. I think it took about 2 weeks for me to get my account. So if you wanted to create a Prezi presentation for something at the end of the week, it probably won't happen. But ask for an account and wait it out...your paitence will be rewarded!

This is the Prezi Presentation I have been working on for the 2009 ICE (Illinois Computer Educators) Conference later this month. Check it out - it's a work in progress!

http://prezi.com/8110/

Gotta Love Diigo

2009-02-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't use Diigo, you don't know what your missing! Diigo is much more than just a place to store your bookmarks, making them accessible for any computer, it is a place to collaborate, share, and find new and exciting websites. Why waste time searching for valuable websites when someone probably has already done the work for you! You can join groups, highlight websites, leave "sticky notes" on websites, and send bookmarks right to your blog! Definitely check out Diigo - add me as a friend - MrsKanas

iTeacher Blog

2009-02-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

My first post! I have been following a whole list of great educator blogs on my BlogLines list, so I decided to start my own. I will share my favorite web-based classroom resources on my blog so check back for updates!