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Getting Involved in Your child's Education

When parents are involved in their children's education, kids do better in school.1. Want to learn how to help your child achieve and succeed? Read on! You'll learn why involvement is so important and suggestions for how to get involved.

 

 

Watch a video of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

 

Classroom Management

 "FREE 10-Part Mini-Course Helps You Get The Most From The Worst Class In School"

Pivotal Gold Members request this for free.  Not a member?  Join here and then request the free course. 

 

 

‘Red Rubber Ball’ Bounces in


What is it that excites you, makes you smile and fuels your dreams?

Click on the picture for more about this inspirational book for children.

 

 

 
For children, sight word recognition is an important step to being able to efficiently learn to read. If they don’t have to stop and consider what each word is, they will have the freedom to comprehend the meaning and context of sentences and paragraphs.
 
Consequently, it’s critical for parents, babysitters, guardians, grandparents and educators to help beginning readers

 

 

 

How good is your knowledge of sports?

Play Sports Hangman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kids in the Kitchen

Make

Scarlett’s Yummy Fairy Cakes

 

 

 

 

Mapping our world
Discover a unique perspective on the world with this interactive whiteboard resource for ages 8-14.

 

 

 

Teaching Outside the Box:

 

How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains

 

by LouAnne Johnson

 

This book is a must for beginning teachers and for pros who need new ideas. It combines street smart practicality with the creative thinking we need to reach kids today.

 

 

 

Islam for Kids

 Many non-Muslim children (and their parents) know very little about how Muslims practice their faith. This great site will answer the most common questions that kids and adults have about Islam, including what the month of Ramadan and the celebration Eid ul-Fitr are.

 

 

Catch the Fly
Mr. Frog needs you to give him the x, y coordinates for a fly so he can dine. Type in the correct coordinates of where the fly lands to feed the frog.

 

 

 

Open Source Mind Mapping Programs:  EdDraw,  MindMeister, FreeMind

 

 

 

The Courage to Teach:  Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

 

by Parker J. Palmer

“Though not an easy book to read, as a teacher of some thirty years I find this book to be challenging, inspiring and definitely thought-provoking. Mr. Palmer is challenging us to reexamine not only our teaching styles but ourselves as teachers..”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching notes for "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series" by Michael Scott

 

 

 

 

Websafe Crackerz
WebSafe Crackerz is a spoof world, online game, built around Internet Safety. Users find genuine safety information throughout all the sites, but it is surrounded by a fictional story about gladhanders, liars, stalkers, bullies, security bouncers, detectives, fake spam and mobile phone companies and a big boss (the Baron), who runs the whole show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Can't Say You Can't Play

by Vivian Gussin Paley

 

I think this book and others you can find like it are worthwhile as people search for ways to make schools more humane and functional for all students, not just the favored.

Its relevance goes far beyond the kindergarten classroom, which is the setting of Paley's story.

 

 

Water conservation online game

Mission H2o, a water conservation game that teaches players how to optimise water usage in the home.

 

 

 

Carbon Smart

Calculate a household's greenhouse gas emissions online by answering questions about the use of transport, home appliances, and wastes. Also find
out what can be done to reduce a carbon footprint.

 

Video -

Microsoft's learning Essentials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the picture

 

 

Exploratorium: Sport Science

Looking at the processes and actions embedded within various team and individual sports is a great way to get exposed to concepts and ideas from physics, engineering, and any other number of basic and applied sciences.

 

 

 

Find out about plants with Zip the bee

This interactive activity provides information about the different parts of a plant, the plant life cycle and pollination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angela Maiers puzzle lesson

Angela Maiers demonstrates to 1st grade students how piecing together a puzzle is similar to being a great reader

 

 

 

 

 

Share the World

Share the World is an educational programme designed to help students better understand and appreciate the animal kingdom. The site provides worksheets and assembly ideas.

Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide

 

Omri receives several conventional gifts for his ninth birthday, including  longed-for skateboard. However, two gifts you would expect to be of least interest to a young boy prove to be magical and exciting. Suitable for primary aged students this study guide has learning outcomes in key learning areas such as English, Art and Society and Environment.

 

 

Quizlet
Quizlet is similar in concept to flashcards, but much more interactive. You can create short quizzes then choose from a range of activities to perform the quiz, share it with others or a select group or class.

 

 

Backyard Buddies are the native animals that share our built-up areas, waterways,  backyards and parks. Backyard buddies are also the people who value native animals  and plants, and want to protect and help them.

 

 

 

 

Where in the world have Australians served?

 

 

Explore this interactive map to work out where in the world Australian
servicemen and service women have served in both peace and war. It is part of the ANZAC Adventures Series of Interactives produced by Ryebuck Media.

 

 

 

With the camera at Anzac

An online photographic album of the Australian soldiers at Gallipoli is freely available on the National Archive of Australia's website. This album contains 41 views of Anzac Beach and the surrounding hills and gullies taken in 1915. The photographs capture Gallipoli through the eyes of the digger.

 

 

 

 Video - The Road to Meaning

 

 

 

The process of reading is very like that of driving a car. As readers, it is our charge to "navigate" our way to meaning as we enter nonfiction texts and tasks. For students the, road to meaning in informational text is one paved with challenge and complexity.  This presentation explores what great "drivers" need to do before, during, and after reading to successfully arrive at their final destination...UNDERSTANDING THE BIG IDEA!

 

 

 

This Science Experiment looks at what happens when Food Coloring is mixed with Oil and Water

 

 
 

Computers and ICTs

 

Web 2.0 for Elementary K-2

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6561014.html?q=web+2.0 - "How can 
Kindergartners Learn Web 2.0?  Ask Maria Knee" - great article!
http://blogs.preknow.org/insideprek/2008/02/web-2what.html  - some cute examples.
http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/group/web20inthelibraryworld/forum/topics/web-20-in-k2-environment
http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/any-k2-teachers-out-there
http://langwitches.org/blog/2007/12/22/best-web-20-applications-for-elementary-school/
 - great list of applications.
http://ktoponce.wikispaces.com/ - this one is a great example of a class wiki/blog.
************
animoto-
Take pictures of favorite books, create an animoto video, and see if students can 
identify the books.
voicethread-  book talks,story retellings + info on famous people - one tells where and where born, 
another tells about education, another tells about family and another tells about 
what they did and why we remember them.
************
 Garageband podcasts.
************
Gaggle.
************
Bookr.  
************

 

Teaching with Technology

Links to downloadable software, "cloudware", and webservices like hosting, for use in teaching

Journal of Online Learning and Teaching [pdf]

http://jolt.merlot.org/

More and more educators may wish to get involved with online teaching initiatives, but they may not be sure where to start. That's where the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) steps in to provide a bit of assistance. JOLT is published four times a year, and its objectives are to enable faculty to use technology effectively in teaching and learning and also to enable academic programs to design and deploy academic technology. The journal has been published since the summer of 2005, and first-time visitors should take a look at the current issue to get a sense of their work. Visitors will find pieces on course management systems, creativity in online courses, and how to monitor and examine online discussions. Those who are so inclined should feel welcome to submit their own work for potential inclusion in a forthcoming volume.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/

 

80+ Videos for Tech. & Media Literacy

Internet videos that would be appropriate for lessons and presentations, or personal research, related to technological and media literacy.

 

 

50 Tips and Tricks to Create a Learning Space in Second Life

http://www.collegedegrees.com/blog/2008/05/27/50-tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-learning-space-in-second-life/

A good list, with links.

Typing Games
http://www.freetypinggame.net/play.asp
A collection of interactive free online typing games for beginner touch typists.

Alice.org
Alice is a 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. It is a teaching tool for introductory computing which uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface.

ICT Focus - Interactive Whiteboard Top Tips
ICT expert and former technophobe, Simon Botten, shares his top tips on how to use the interactive whiteboard. Contains several short videos of Simon using his interactive whiteboard in classroom situations.

 INTERACTIVE KEYBOARDING:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Choose between four skill levels to begin with, and use
the remainder of the levels for your students to progress
through as they become more competent with keyboarding
tasks. Lively animals guide students through keyboard
familiarity with hands-on exercises.

USING INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS:
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Interactive.aspx

Numerous suggestions help you use interactive whiteboards
in your own classroom with ideas for exploring patterns,
numbers, mathematical concepts, and more.

The entire Crickwebsite  http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ but in particular
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=Toolkit%20index2a
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Interactive.aspx?s=maths&a=f
http://www.ictgames.com/index.html
http://www.sightwordswithsamson.com/sw/sight_words.asp
http://www.kiddonet.com/gb/flash/phonics/Intro.html
http://www.littlefingers.com/
http://www.bigbrownbear.co.uk/magneticletters/
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/interactivenumbergrids.
html
http://www.ictgames.com/countingwithstick.html

I have put some links on my Library website. These are generic links to good
primary sites
http://www.sac.sa.edu.au/Library/Library/Primary/interactive.html

Also Maths Interactive links
http://www.sac.sa.edu.au/Library/Library/Primary/maths/maths.htm

Good science site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/index_flash.shtml

I have added Interactive sites as well as web links under different topics
if you want to investigate - see Primary links from the home page
http://www.sac.sa.edu.au/Library/Library/library.htm

Some useful websites for IWB

LESSONS
Summary site for interactive lessons
http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/tutorials/whiteboards.html#sites

FLASH lessons to download - Maths K-Yr 12
http://www.teacherlink.org/content/math/interactive/flash/home.html

Great lessons already done for you- Primary all KLA's
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Interactive.aspx?s=maths&a=ks1
<http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Interactive.aspx?s=maths&amp;a=ks1
 >

Fantastic free flash lessons
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/

More free downloads- Scottish site
http://www.fife-education.org.uk/ict_in_education/SmartBoard/Downloads_NBfil
es.htm

very useful
http://home.comcast.net/~dmharris5118/whiteboard%20site.htm

Australian based lessons
http://www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au/lesson.asp

On-line Calculator
http://www.metacalc.com <http://www.metacalc.com/>

Useful Sites
Summary site
http://www.amphi.com/departments/technology/whiteboard/lessonplans.html

Outstanding summary site for IWB (some out of date)
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/suel/white/white.html

useful wiki space
http://teaching-with-technology.wikispaces.com/iwb

Excellent new on-line collaborative tools free to schools
http://www.intel.com/education/tools/index.htm

Try out an IWB blog site
http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/labels/IWB.html

SMART TEC home page with links for education
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-GB/Ed+Resource/

INTERWRITE RESOURCES
Interwrite educational resources
http://www.interwritelearning.com/resources/index.html

Interwrite lessons
http://www.gtcocalcomp.com/erc/lessons.htm

US lessons
http://technology.usd259.org/resources/whiteboards/iw-lessons/InterwriteActi
vities.htm

some useful information
http://dotrust.org/what-we-do/teachup/communities-of-practice/interactive-wh
ite-boards/resources/interwrite-technology-1

TUTORIALS
Tutorial and good links
http://www.wcboe.org/programs/oit/workshops/NSS/day4.htm

SMART TEC home page for training
http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/
http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/tutorials.asp#
<http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/tutorials.asp
 >

SMART board training videos (can be downloaded)
http://www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au/story.asp?sc=0&id=784
<http://www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au/story.asp?sc=0&amp;id=784
 >

English site with tutorials of  SMARTBOARDS and INTERWRITEBOARDS
http://www.nwnet.org.uk/pages/software_guidance/interactive_whiteboards.html

Excellent site from England- includes video lesson and tips
http://www.teachers.tv/ict/whiteboardtips

Interactive sites
http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/tutorials/whiteboards.html#sites
<http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/tutorials/whiteboards.html#sites
 >


FREE INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD TEACHING RESOURCES

8/5/8

Over the last decade there has been a veritable explosion of the 
amount of free teaching material that has been developed for use with 
interactive whiteboards.

As mentioned earlier most computer software has been designed for use 
by one or two people, on a small PC screen.

With the emergence of the large screen IWBs the new offerings have 
been not only designed for use on a large screen and with a class 
group, but also to encourage all the members of the class to interact 
with the materials

The body of teaching material is growing by the day.  Some is great, 
and as has always been the way some is lacking.

Some of the 'free' resources are accompanied by ads, and in particular 
Google Ads but as far as you are concerned as a teacher they are there 
to use without cost.

In a publication like this it is impossible to keep abreast of all 
those changes, nor indeed to note which of the sites are removed.

What we have done is to point you in the direction of some of the 
better general situations and to provide at http://www..a site where 
will regularly update the general offerings.

The General Quest

In searching for potential free teaching materials aside from using 
the ubiquitous Google and your friendly school teacher librarian we 
would strongly suggest that if you are not already doing so you get 
into the habit of using the Flash indicator in conjunction with the 
chosen subject.

That is to say if you were after material on the operation of the 
heart you'd simply enter into Google - heart operations flash

Omnibus Collections

Be on the lookout for those sites where ultra keen teachers or indeed 
companies have compiled omnibus collections that provide ready access 
to a host of sites on a specific subject or area of schooling.

These collections can save you hours of work.

Below are just a few

-       Coxhoe Primary School - in Durham England -
http://www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk/



-       Interactive Whiteboard Resources at - http://www.iwb.org.uk/




-       Tony Poultney's vast Primary Toolbox Collection at
http://www.btinternet.com/~tony.poulter/
  Check out for example his music sites at -
http://www.btinternet.com/~tony.poulter/links/musiclinks.htm


-       Primary Resources - UK - at -
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/index.htm


-       Woodlands Junior School - in Kent, England -
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/index.html


-       Athena at - http://www.athena.bham.org.uk/old/TeacherResources.htm


Education Authority Sites

There are a growing number of education authorities around the world 
that are very willing to share their efforts and those of their 
teachers with colleagues worldwide.

Latch on to the better ones.

Those in the UK have led the way.  You'll find material on both the 
local education authority sites as well as some of the national 
learning grid sites, with in turn links on each to other resources..

While it doesn't provide on its main site actual teaching materials 
you should bookmark, for anything to do with teaching and interactive 
whiteboards the UK's major authority, Becta.  It is a must to visit
http://schools.becta.org.uk
  and to examine of practical advice it provides.

As you look further you'll note Becta's influence in the provision of 
specific teaching materials.  In addition to being behind the UK's 
Curriculum Online at http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/Default.htm 
and the operation of Teacher Net at -
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/usefulsites/

As IWBs take hold education authorities globally are developing 
similar collections.  Some are restricted to particular groups of 
teachers - such as Australia's Learning Federation
-http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/default.asp
while others will be open to all interested.

Below are but a few of the UK authorities providing excellent 
resources.  You'll find virtually all the English grids for learning 
and local education authorities have free teaching materials.

What you'll find is that once you enter one you'll find hyper links to 
many other sources.


-       Birmingham Grid for Learning - http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/15.cfm


-       Essex Grid for Learning - http://www.e-gfl.org/


-       Northumberland Grid for Learning - Go for example to its home 
page at -


-       http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/- but then have a look at 
some of the specifics such as that All About Animals -
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/ict/AAA/AAA.html
  or alternatively visit its Virtual Orchestra at -
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/music/orchestra/default.htm


-       The Oxford Local Education Authority at -
http://www.ict.oxon-lea.gov.uk/whiteboards.html


IWB Providers

The major interactive whiteboard manufacturers also provide extensive 
teacher support and the facility to view materials developed by 
teachers around the world.  Some of it is excellent, some less so.  
Some is also developed using the proprietary software and thus until 
the completion of the work in the UK allowing for the transfer of 
files between the main IWB teaching software can only be used with 
that board.

Go to:

Smart Technologies at - http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-us/

Smart also has a fee paying service called marketplace.  Check out 
some of the blog and mailing list comments, and indeed reflect on what 
you can do with Google images before rushing in.

Promethean - http://www.prometheanplanet.com/

Mimio - http://www.mimio.com/solutions/education/community/index.php)

Polyvision - the makers of the Websterboard
http://polyvision.wikispaces.com/

Public Authorities/Museums

There is a growing body of quality material being produced by all 
manner of government agencies, public authorities and museums - across 
the developed world.

The volume of material is already vast, and growing in size and quality.

Below are but a few examples.


British Library - and its famous books collection at -

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html

British Parliament - at -
http://www.explore.parliament.uk/parliament.aspx?id=16

Kruger National Park in South Africa -
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/webcams/


San Francisco Symphony Orchestra - at
http://www.sfskids.org/templates/splash.asp



Try Science Online museum - a joint venture with the New York Hall of 
Science, the Association of Science-Technology Centers and IBM 
Corporation - at http://www.tryscience.org/



US Library of Congress - at http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/index.php



University of Houston - Digital History Museum - at
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/



Foundations - Clearing Houses

In the US in particular you'll find a significant number of 
philanthropic foundations providing interactive teaching materials and 
acting as clearing houses in key areas of learning.

Have a look at:

Media Corporations

Increasingly nations are taking advantage of the interactive media 
production capacity of its publicly funded media corporations to 
produce quality teaching materials.

The following in particular are well worth visiting

Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) - at
http://www.abc.net.au/science/games/
  has for example a variety of quality science games.

British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) at http://www.bbc.co.uk/
learning/ or http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools

The BBC provides every student around the world studying for a UK 
qualification free access to interactive multimedia teaching materials 
in all areas of the curriculum.  For more go to:

British Pathe Archive - http://www.britishpathe.com - that provides 
access to much of the old Pathe newsreels

BT (British Telecom) - has a site for schools entitled Better World at 
- http://www.btbetterworld.com/

PBS - the US Public Broadcasting Service - at - http://www.pbs.org/teachers

TES - The Time Educational Supplement site at - http://www.tes.co.uk/

Mailing Lists, and Blogs

Talk to your colleagues about the better education mailing lists, and 
blogs.

Mailing Lists

Although the mailing list technology has been around since the early 
90's the better ones still continue to provide invaluable practical 
information on the better teaching resources.  While you will find 
most are attuned to the local curriculum most will yield invaluable 
information - either by you submitting requests or your 'mining' of 
the list.

The UK has a couple of excellent teacher lists that are open to anyone.

There is

-       topteachers - topteachers@lists.becta.org.uk


-       NWNet (suspect it might have ended?)


For teacher librarians check out the following

-       LM_Net - a US based list at - http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/


-       OZTL_Net - an Australian focussed list - at
OZTL_NET@listserv.csu.edu.au


Blogs


At the time of writing the following blogs are well worth checking 

-       http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/

-       http://interactivewhiteboards.blogspot.com/

-       http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/

-       http://www.technorati.com/videos/tag/Whiteboard (?)


http://del.icio.us/practicalclassroomstuff
http://del.icio.us/learnit
http://www.digi-hub.net/
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/iwb/index.htm
http://www.amphi.com/departments/technology/whiteboard/lessonplans.html


http://smarttech.com/


http://smartboards.typepad.com/smartboard/websites/



Main page
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/

US and Canada lesson page
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Noteb
ook+activities/


http://technology.usd259.org/resources/whiteboards/smartlessons.htm


http://its.leesummit.k12.mo.us/smartboard.htm



Propaganda and websites
  http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/WIT/SmartBoard/benefits.htm


Primary school pages
http://www.sfa.cg.catholic.edu.au/smartboard/


http://www.ecarter.k12.mo.us/dept/elementary/fourthgrade/ccrites/etipslesson
1.html


http://www.funbrain.com/idioms/index.html

http://www.quia.com/shared/eng/


Websites for Secondary schools

http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+Activities/Noteb
ook+Activities/Browse+Notebook/Australia+and+New+Zealand/Secondary/?sort=
SMART Notebooks for schools

http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/CaseStudies/casestudygeneric.htm
Video clips of secondary teachers using whiteboards

http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk/
Teacher resource exchange, for ICT resources across subject areas

http://www.eduscapes.com/sessions/smartboard/#2
Very useful tips on what you can do with your SMART Boards

http://schools.matter.org.uk/11-16.html
Interactive Physical Sciences resources for secondary schools

http://www.ictadvice.org.uk/index.php
ICT advice for Secondary teachers, articles case studies, and links to 
other websites.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/15.cfm?s=15&m=430&p=245,index
Interactive resources for secondary, English, Maths, Science and other 
subject areas

http://oswego.org/ocsd-web/teaching/resources/resources-x.cfm?Type=I&Subject
Codes=SC
Concept mapping with 'inspiration', templates for across subject areas

http://www.cleo.net.uk/subjects.php
Lots of interactive resources across all subject areas, look under 
Magic wall tab for more!

Live On-line Training
http://www.electroboard.com.au/trainingcentre/trainingevents.asp
. Two Minute Tutorials
http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/tutorials.asp
. Quick References
http://www.electroboard.com.au/trainingcentre/quick_references.asp
. Hands on Practice
http://www.electroboard.com.au/trainingcentre/hands_on_practices.asp
. Training Videos
http://www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au/story.asp?sc=0&id=784




TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY IN UPPER ELEMENTARY:
http://www.tlt.ab.ca/projects/Div2/index_div2.html
http://www.riverdeep.net/portal/page?_pageid=353,157694,353_157695&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Science projects here include a Cloud Watcher Poster, a
Tid Bits Database to use in any subject, or a Wetlands
and Endangered Animals Identification Cards student ac-
tivity. For sixth grade language arts, try the genre and
book report site or a spelling quest program. Grade four
projects include exercises in Statistics and Probability,
a pizza survey, and a spreadsheet activity on Changes in
Daytime Shadow Lengths. Projects cover 4th through 6th
grades, with a wide range of technology training features
incorporated into all aspects of the curriculum. For a
great technology tool to employ for many of your projects,
try the Student Writing Center for grades 4 to 9, availa-
ble at the 2nd link above.

TEACHING SPREADSHEETS:
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/ict/ict2.htm

Numerous different spreadsheet activities are available
in pdf lesson plans, covering grades three through six.

A VARIETY OF SPREADSHEET ACTIVITIES:
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow4/may99/spreadsheet.html

Find several exercises to incorporate spreadsheet activi-
ties into your lesson plans, including timelines for Sit-
ting Bull, interview forms, Civil War battle graphing,
and more.

IDEAS FOR COMPUTER TEACHERS:
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/1927.html

If you need some fresh suggestions for computer lessons
in your lab or classroom, try this list of innovative
teaching ideas; great for middle school classes.

COMPUTER CAPERS:
http://www.buddyproject.org/capers/default.asp

Here is a huge resource for computer/technology activities
that can easily be incorporated into either your computer
lab time, or any of your current areas of study across the
curriculum. Simply define your parameters with grade and
topic, then submit for a wide variety of technology-based
exercises.
 

Minimizing Classroom Disruptions

Computers and the internet have become welcome instructional tools in most schools, ushering a wealth of additional resources into today’s classrooms. Unfortunately, they also bring with them the potential for unwanted distractions—such as online content that ranges from off-target, to inappropriate, material.

With the generous support of Faronics, a maker of solutions that help manage, simplify, and secure complex IT environments, we’ve assembled this collection of stories and columns from the eSchool News archives to help you leverage technology’s potential for education, while minimizing classroom disruptions. We hope you’ll find these resources helpful as you seek an appropriate balance in your own institutions..

Photoshop Elements 5:

Adjusting the speed of the animation

Digital Cameras
Show your students what can be done:

 

www.teachersintouch.net Free Lessons and you'll see that the Office applications can be used by classroom teachers as part of the curriculum without focusing on learning the application skills. The lesson plans are ideal for the teachers own professional development and they can then print out the lesson plan and hand it to the students with some instructions and demonstration of the included sample files.
 

http://www.kindersite.org

 The Kindersite Project is a free, safe resource for:

  a.. The introduction to technology for very young children
  b.. English as a second language and as a first language (EFL/ESL)
  c.. Special needs (Autism/Deaf/Downs etc.)
 It is being used in libraries, schools, preschool, kindergarten, early
 grades, homeschool etc. With registrations from 13,659 schools in 148
 countries.

 It consists of 100s of graded items of games, stories and songs in 2
 directories suitable for adult usage and children. The Kindersite is
 funded by completing European Union government education projects (they
 are listed on the Kindersite).

 

Early childhood colouring and mouse practice

Here is a website for that.
http://www.billybear4kids.com/colorme/colorbook-pages.html
 
two fun Halloween sites, not coloring but good mouse practice.
http://www.meddybemps.com/halloween/pumpkin03.html
http://www.thepumpkinfarm.com/jack/jackboard.html

www.coloring.com
 
www.pbskids.org
 
 www.noggin.com .  Lots of click activities.

 

"GIDGETS is an association and club in Queensland that has been set up to help girls

 learn a lot of amazing things about IT and also to help them get information about

careers in the ICT industry."

Making animations
 education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02341.html

Dreamweaver MX (UP)
This manual was designed to introduce teachers to the basics of Dreamweaver MX with the aim of working with students. Supports learning outcomes from Level 4 of the Technology Practice strand and the Information strand of Technology.

Web Graphics and Multimedia: Resources and Design

Typeonline
"Typeonline offers a structured course to motivated individuals looking to develop their keyboard skills and a free resource to complement supervised keyboarding education in schools."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

These FREE How to Guides are provided by Microsoft Corp as part of their Learn IT Teach IT resources:-

  Photoshop Tutorials
http://www.tutorialpark.com/index.php
This website has a extensive collection of free Photoshop tutorials and articles all related to digital graphics. The tutorials are well set out and easy to follow. Categories include: photo effects, text effects, effects and textures.

 

University of Alberta: Online Word Processing Tutorials
www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy202/tutorial/wptut/wpweb.

World Wide Web Navigation Skills

Educators should be able to navigate the World Wide Web and search effectively for data on the Internet. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials on these skills.

Educators should be able to design, create, and maintain a faculty/educator Web page/site. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials on these skills.

Teacher Web site creation - interactive from Teachers.net

 

  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Powerpoint
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Frontpage
  • HTML

http://egshs.wa.edu.au/resource_tools.html

 

Typeonline
 "Typeonline offers a structured course to motivated individuals looking to develop their keyboard skills and a free resource to complement supervised keyboarding education in schools."

Educational software

http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/cmis/eval/library/publishers/pub2.htm#software

Follow link from our Publisher's page - you may find it useful

Have you got the catalogue
www.edsoft.com.au
Edsoft website or ring 1800 338 873 or (03) 9878 4899

www.teachersintouch.net
Check out the Free Lessons on  (link on the left side) where you will
find lesson plans and projects
for K - 12 students using Microsoft Office, Photo Story, Movie Maker,
Producer and other applications.

 

Edna's Software sites -  sites that have free programs, or where you
can get evaluation copies:
http://www.edna.edu.au/browse/0,schooled,resources,ict,4832
Software reviews
http://www.edna.edu.au/browse/0,schooled,resources,ict,14670
Tutorials
http://www.edna.edu.au/browse/0,schooled,resources,ict,4833

Information Literacy
ICT Literacy Maps
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/matrices/default.asp
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a US consortium of education organisations, has developed a series of ICT Literacy Maps that illustrate the intersection between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy and core academic subjects. ICT Literacy Maps can assist policy-makers and educators in understanding how to integrate ICT Literacy into core subjects.

 

Pick some colors, make some marks and watch your virtual kaleidoscope
make endless pretty patterns. Requires Shockwave/Flash, available in
high and low bandwidth versions. (thanks, Trevor)
http://www.zefrank.com/dtoy_vs_byokal/

Using iMovie and iDVD to create electronic books
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02264.html
Contributed by Andrew Collis.

Little authors: The integration of ICTs and literacy into a Preschool program
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02274.html
Contributed by Lisa Cooper.

 

Computer Classroom Management Tips

http://www.schools.net.au/edu/education/resources/managing_classrooms_full.h
tml
 The tips included have been identified by practicing teachers as things
that can make the first experiences of using the Internet with students
positive.


Creating a memorable photograph
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02259.html
Contributed by Lyndall Owbridge.

Creating the school yearbook using Corel PHOTO-PAINT 11 and CorelDRAW 11
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02190.html
Contributed by Lyndall Owbridge.


 Principles of Motivation

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/mo
tivate.htm
Basic principles of motivation that are applicable to learning in any
situation.

 Strategies for Classroom Management
  http://osi.fsu.edu/waveseries/htmlversions/wave3.htm
 Ideas for successful classroom management.

  Integrating IT: Classifying Matter using Inspiration

 Kidspiration/Inspiration software is a great tool to assist students in recording the classification of matter into natural and human-made. Here is
what you can do using a data projector and Kidspiration:
 Collect images of symbols of different types of objects to place on your screen
 Make 2 large boxes labelled natural and human-made on the screen.
Ask students to help click and drag the objects to the correct box.
Demonstrate how to create subgroups within each box.
 Ask students to create their own chart showing their categories.
 To see an example of this go to:
  http://www.northcanton.sparcc.org/~elem/kidspiration/harhager/matter.htm

I Wish: Data Projectors
 I have collected some resources this week about with information and tips for using data projectors in the classroom. The price of projectors is coming down all the time. It is about time your principal bought you one.
You deserve it. Besides the obvious educational advantages, data projectors are also great to borrow for the weekend for viewing sporting events on TV.

 Data Projectors in Schools
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~leemshs/project.htm
 Quick start guide, curriculum benefits, buying tips and classroom applications created by Keith Lightbody, ICT Consultant.

 Using Computers and Data Projectors in Classrooms: A Primer
  http://www.sandiego.edu/ins/insites/article.php?story=20030911122254912
 Information about the basics of using data projectors in the classroom.

 Want to wear the latest in computer fashion? Don\'t want to be left behind in the IT style stakes? Is this the teaching tool of the future? http://www.xybernaut.com/Solutions/product/mav_product.htm
 The Xybernaut Mobile Assistant is a lightweight, wearable computer that fits into a pocket but is as powerful as a desktop computer. It can function as a personal organizer, a touch-activated voice synthesizer, and content
delivery tool.

Inspiring the new wave of ICT savvy Indigenous students
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02275.html
This unit was designed to raise the technology skill level of students at Thursday Island State High School, to demystify the more complex uses of ICTs in the learning process and to raise the level of exposure to technology of Year 10 students and to make using ICTs an enjoyable experience.
(Level: MS)

 

*   Nadine Lane-Cummings
Using iMovie with infants
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02077.html

 

I saw an ICTs lesson plan recently for younger kids that could beadapted -

The basic intentions were to learn to use the thesaurus in MS Word and to experiment with Word Art. This was done in an activity replacing the "nice" in a small "Have a nice day" sign/poster/greeting card with several other words done is various Word Art styles.

 Other  cards saying Congratulations on a "good" result, Thanks for a nice meal,  etc could be used

 PS For alternatives to "said" I always liked the fun of "Tom Swifties" where the adverb and sometimes the verb  was a pun as in "You are as beautiful as the Venus de Milo," Tom whispered disarmingly "I'm halfway up a mountain," Edmund alleged "I'm tired of smiling," moaned Lisa "We're returning the ship to harbour", the captain reported

Palmtops: Computing @ Every Student
  http://k-12.pisd.edu/handhelds/
 Lessons learned and questions asked in three years of working with school-based handheld projects.

 Hand-Held Devices in the Classroom
  http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic78.htm
 Outlines the difference between Palms, Handsprings, and other hand held devices and how to integrate them into the classroom.

 Planet 5th: Learning In Hand
  http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/p5/handhelds/
Find out about this Year 5 class and their experiment with handheld computers. Includes information on management and applications forhandhelds


Using ICT in the Curriculum
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/browse/0,schooled,resources,4814

Policies, Issues, & Priorities - ICTs
http://www.edna.edu.au/browse/0,schooled,policies,14752

Implementing & Managing ICT
http://www.edna.edu.au/browse/0,schooled,leadership,schlplanng,4780

ICT & Pedagogy
http://www.edna.edu.au/browse/0,schooled,leadership,teachissue,pedagogy,14771

Theme Pages:

Online Games & Activities
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page2298.html

Learning Quests
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page3150.html

WebQuests, Internet Treasure Hunts, Learning Quests
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page2297.html

Learning Objects
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page2901.html


Related Sites

OzProjects
http://ozprojects.edna.edu.au/

ICT Research
http://ictresearch.edna.edu.au/

Computer Technologies for Schools
http://ctfs.edna.edu.au/  

http://www.learnnc.org/LearnNC/lessonp.nsf/all/7E57C73B024B847C852568EA00490
  505?openDocument
  A lesson plan for grade 2 mathematics, English language arts, and
computer technology skills.

It's time for rhyme: Using ICTs to enhance early literacy skills
http://education.qld.gov.au/tal/tips/02272.html
Contributed by Fleur Provost.

 

 

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