3 Typing Games!
I try to post to this blog when I get a few free minutes, which often means on Friday mornings. Today I had a severe case of writers block so I spent a lot of time reading up some typing/keyboard resources for kids. That roughly translates to looking at educational games and trying to find [...]
ClassParrot and Cel.ly
If I taught in a high school, I would definitely sign up for ClassParrot or Cel.ly. Both are services that allows users to set up a text group and then broadcast text messages to the group. Cel.ly seems to be more robust than ClassParrot. For those of us who are stuck in the email generation, [...]
A Book and a Hug
Other than having an irresistible title, A Book and a Hug is a great resource for finding books for young readers created by Barb Langridge. Barb has created special lists such as “reluctant readers”, “books for boys” and “safe books for middle readers”. Readers can write reviews – no email is required to write [...]
All I need to know about Twitter I learned at kindergarten
How’s that for a great title? I came across this slide presentation, created by Wolfgang Rheinhardt, Martin Ebner and Steve Miller which was given at a the World Computer Conference in Brisbane, Australia. The title completely captured my interest so I just had to check it out. The presentation combines some great pictures with the “kindergarten” [...]
Thingdom is a huge hit!
I introduced Heidi Hill’s class to Thingdom the other day. Thingdom is a great game that teaches the introduction to genetics – understanding dominant and recessive genes and traits. The purpose of the game is to move through generations, trying to create individuals with specific traits to pass the test. It’s great fun to play [...]
Visit MangaHigh for some intense math practice
I found this web site, MangaHigh.com and set up all of the Intermediate unit and Elizabeth’s class with logins for some really intense math practice. The games and challenges are geared towards the later elementary years and high school. What starts out easy get very challenging as the game progresses. I recommend that a student [...]
100 Most Educational Apps for iPhone/iPad
I found this list of iPhone/iPad apps that are all educational. They range from brain exercises to reference materials. Most of the apps in this list aren’t free but the majority are 99¢. This particular blog is a great place to go if you like lists of things like: Permanent Link to 20 Awe-Inspiring TED [...]
Twiducate
Twiducate is a social networking site that doesn’t require a student to have an email address AND the site can be easily monitored by a teacher. I’m looking at this site as a way for Katie’s class to collaborate on the Eaton Trail project.
Programming and Kids!
There are lots of different ways to teach kids the fundamentals of programming. For the really young (Pre-K through 4th), there is Turtle Logo and the Bee Bots from Terrapin Software. Then there’s Scratch from MIT which I used with the 3rd and 4th graders last year and will use with them again this year. [...]
Wolfram|Alpha
Beyond search is understanding. Wolfram|Alpha is a “knowledge engine”. With an interface similar to Google, just enter something that you want to understand such as a date or a chemical element or even Warren, Vermont and the result is something that compiles known data. For example enter “traffic at apple.com” and you’ll find out that [...]