TeachersFirst: Week of June 29, 2008

Featured Sites - Week of June 29, 2008

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Here are this week's features. Clicking the "more resources like this" link below each listing will present a list of our most recent additions for the same subject area and grade level .

zwebquest - Grades 2 - 12 - permalink
Have you been pining to include pertinent webquests in your curriculum? This site allows you to view already created webquests and/or use their online tool to create your own webquest without HTML code or web editor software. This site walks you through a tutorial on creating your own webquest for the parameters YOU want. The tutorial includes planning, building, and getting your webquest published. Best of all-- it is free. This site also includes ready-made webquests in nearly every subject area (math, art, music, social studies, science, etc.) submitted by others like you. There are webquests for all grade level. The webquests are free to use and many include reviews by other educators. An easy to follow webquest matrix is available, with all of the subjects and grade levels. You are also able to do a webquest search for a specific topic. Nearly all of the webquests are in English, but a few are in other languages. Note: the quality of webquests is completely determined by others using the site to create webquests, so PREVIEW before using any webquest in class. 9368

In the Classroom:
Search the multitude of webquests that are “ready to go” at this site. If you are looking for a more personal touch, you can create your own webquest for each class, tailored to what you want to cover or want students to research. This site also provides a place to post a personal portfolio of your work (if you choose to include any student work, you must have written permission to do so from the student and his or her parent). You might also want students to create webquests as final products of group research projects. Be sure to provide a meaningful rubric for the essential features.

YourDictionary - Grades 0 - 12 - permalink
A definitive authority on words, this free site gives you definitions, thesaurus entries, spellings, pronunciations, and etymology results. Add to that list an audio pronunciation system that allows you to hear the word as well. YourDictionary also provides resources to help you find foreign language translation sites. It even directs you to medical, computer, or electricians’ dictionaries, and many more. Haven’t you always wanted to say a tongue-twister in the Asante language? Words have never so much fun. This site does include some advertisements. 9344

In the Classroom:
Send students to this site to look up those difficult words. ESL and ELL students can use this site to practice the pronunciation of new words. Be sure to mark this site as a favorite or share on your teacher web page for easy access.

For similar resources, click the appropriate keyword: Online Dictionary | thesaurus | glossary | audio dictionary |

Build A Neighborhood - Grades 0 - 3 - permalink
This interactive site challenges students to create a neighborhood. The site provides a brief explanation about neighborhoods. Students can choose to create a neighborhood using a farm, a house, a construction site, or a castle. This site is part of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and emphasizes that everyone and every community is special and unique. Students are provided with several pictures to "drag and drop" onto the scene. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 9370

In the Classroom:
Use this website during your social studies unit on communities. Demonstrate how to use this tool on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students work in small groups to create their own neighborhoods (or individual computers, if they are available). Have students (or groups) share their neighborhoods with the class. Turn this into a language arts lesson by having students write a story about their neighborhood. If you have Google Earth available, show your “real” neighborhoods on a projector or interactive whiteboard and compare with the newly-created ones your students invented.

MapSkip - Grades 4 - 12 - permalink
Teacher's First EDGE Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. This online tool allows you to see various cities and countries throughout the world. The site features placemarkers added by users to interactive Google Maps including stories, photos, videos, and comments and ratings from other users. Visit Reston, Virginia (west of Washington, DC) for a sample placemarker full of teaching ideas left by our review team “captain.” Mapskip allows you to zoom in and out (using the arrows) and scroll across the map in any cardinal direction. You can view the entire world, or individual cities. Red hands are used to represent placemarkers created by users. The Mapskip blog is written by the MapSkip staff to explain new features and tools. Registered members are able to comment on any updates there, as well. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 9374

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: Register (requires email and activation from confirmation email). Manipulate the map as you would on Google Maps (zoom, drag, etc). Click to add a new placemarker, enter a "story, title, and upload pictures and video. You need to know how to locate and upload files. You can also edit your profile, view places created by you or any author you choose to "follow" and more. You can "rate" placemarkers left by others, as well. Why not add a few stars to the one for this review?

Safety/Security Concerns: Membership requires an email address and user name. Use your “memberships” (extra) email account for such memberships, so you don’t clutter your mailbox. If you want students to use the tool but they are not allowed to access email at school, create a free teacher Gmail account with up to 20 sub-accounts for your students Here is a blog post that tells how. Be sure students don't use their actual names or provide their location as part of their registration. Since this site has photos, videos, and stories submitted by members, always be sure to preview what you wish to share in class. The site has a link to click if anything appears inappropriate. At the time of this review, this website and its contents appear very useful and appropriate for intermediate and secondary students. Be sure to check your district's acceptable use policy before you submit anything to a website. Use fictitious names for your students and be sure to get parental permission if photos, videos, or any student work are included. Since others can read, rate, and comment on any entry you or your students make, you will want to discuss ethical behavior and help students build a “think skin” to outside criticism.

Possible Uses: Even without joining, you can share your PREVIEWED Mapskip entries created by others on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you study faraway places. Create Mapskip entries about historical sites in your local area, including images taken with digital cameras, artifacts from your local historical society, links to newspaper articles, or video interviews of older residents telling about old times. As you study community or landforms in your elementary class, ‘mapskip” them with annotations of your local map, showing examples of landforms and local community landmarks with digital pictures. Allow older students to use the site independently or in small groups. Mapskips are ideal as a product for individual research projects. In world language classes, plotting a trip or writing an imaginary story of their dreamed trip to Spain or Mexico. Take your students on a trip to the native countries where the language is spoken.

For similar resources, click the appropriate keyword: maps | photos |

Word Duck - Grades 0 - 8 - permalink
A variation of Hangman, the Dunk-a-Duck Hangman dunks the duck into the water if you can't supply the right letters for the word. Your students will appreciate the extra effort to help them spell when you put their spelling or vocabulary words on a Word Duck list. You can create your own personalized list of words after a simple, free registration. Others may use your list, and likewise, you will find many lists already created by other teachers for many curriculum areas. More word games are being developed, so be sure to save this site in your favorites. There are some advertisements at this website. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

9367

In the Classroom:
Pair students on laptops to play Word Duck or allow them to create custom wordlists for each other as review, using your teacher log-in. Add a new game as part of review for terminology tests and include the link on your class web page. Turn up the volume to hear the water splashing, the bell ringing for a right letter, and the duck quacking if you win. Or use headsets if the sounds are getting too annoying!

For similar resources, click the appropriate keyword: hangman | spelling | online tool |

Visual Geography - Grades 5 - 12 - permalink
This site offers rich geographical information visually: through photographs. Students select a continent to investigate. (Note: all continents except Antarctica are included.) After viewing pictures of one country on that continent, they can click for a more in-depth examination and more pictures, listen to the native language of that area, click on another country to make a comparison, and take a quiz on that information. They can also select certain categories to learn more about transportation, education, religion, people, etc. 9279

In the Classroom:
Use this site as an anticipatory set or “activator” to introduce a world cultures or geography unit or lesson on an interactive whiteboard or projector. This site offers a visual approach to studying and comparing other countries and interesting research information to use for independent projects. This site is also excellent for enrichment. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class. Use this site to introduce the countries your ESL and ELL students represent. Have your ESL and ELL students guide the interactive picture tour for the class. World language teachers can use this site as part of their cultural studies.

For similar resources, click the appropriate keyword: continents | countries | climate | photos |

Pixton - Grades 4 - 12 - permalink
Teacher's First Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. At this site, students can create, share, and "remix" comics. The "remix" link allows students to add their own twist to ready-made comics. Students can read comics created by others and also make comments on them. Other highlights of the site include a featured author and blog. This free version of Pixton will be followed with a fee-based version for schools (with teacher and student registration levels and safety tools) in 2009, but the free version will remain available. See an example created by the TeachersFirst Edge team. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. 9280

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: Register and watch “trailers” or play with the simple tools to choose a situation (template), color, graphics and symbols. Then enter dialog. Make changes with simple tools alongside each block of your comic. Save your work to come back later or you may "publish" right away. You have a choice about whether others are allowed to “remix” your work. You also have the option to edit work or embed it in a website, blog or wiki. Comics can also be shared by URL (copy it from the address bar) or sent via email.

Safety/Security Concerns: Registration requires an email address. You may want to create your own Gmail account with sub-accounts for students (by sub-account code name or number) within your classes. You are able to create up to twenty sub-accounts on Gmail. Here is a blog post that tells how. There are some safeguards in place to be sure students use appropriate language and actions. It would be wise to preview whatever you wish to share with your students, however, since the general public can create comics with their own ideas. Students should submit their work without identifiable names and location, according to your school policy, perhaps using their newly-assigned Gmail address and account (monitored by you, since you own the master account). You will also want written parent permission before allowing students to create comics that can be seen online.

Possible Uses: Use comics to write summaries of current events, responses to reading assignments, expressions of teen problems, and creative works of humor. With younger students, use an interactive whiteboard or projector to create a class comic on a current topic of study, such as the life cycle of the frog or ways to conserve energy. Use this site to integrate an art and writing lesson. Why not have students create comics to demonstrate a concept in science or social studies, rather than a traditional paper/pencil quiz? World language teachers and ESL/ELL teachers will love the chance for students to demonstrate written language skills in the “context” of their comic situations.

For similar resources, click the appropriate keyword: comics | graphic novels | summaries | assignment responses |

ArtRage 2 Starter Edition - Grades 3 - 10 - permalink
Teacher's First Edge Review: for very slightly adventurous technology users and their students. Traditional art media become digital with the free ArtRage 2 Starter Edition paint program. Pencil, chalk, paint and marker tools smear, smudge, blend,and flow just like real art materials. You and your students can paint with thinned oils, use wet or dry markers, soften the pencil and control the hardness of the crayon, and much more. 9410

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: ArtRage Starter Edition can be downloaded and installed on machines running Windows Vista, XP, 2000 and Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or later. Check with your IT department or administrator for download and installation approval and help (if needed). ONly the need to download and install pushes this tool to the "Edge."

The ArtRage 2 interface is simple and intuitive, with large icons which clearly identify tools and options. While the program has a user guide and the website offers a quick start tutorial plus several technique-specific tutorials, fifteen minutes of clicking on icons, exploring the menus and playing with tools will give you a good start creating works of art. Teachers and students who are familiar with standard paint programs included in Windows and Mac machines will quickly grasp the basics and enjoy exploring the artistic possibilities of ArtRage 2. The program supports English, French or German language labels on tools and menus.

Possible Uses: Students can use ArtRage 2 to create illustrations, drawings and paintings for storybooks, book reviews and author posters in English or language arts activities. Math and science concepts can be explained through illustrative drawings, such as a diagram of a flower's parts or the steps in oxidation. Make visual represntations of mathematical operations or concepts such as fractions. Have ELL or foreign language students import images into ArtRage 2, trace and color them to create unique vocabulary cards and posters illustrating new words. Recognize and celebrate your students by importing their digital photos and applying textures and effects to create special birthday cards, awards, bulletin board pictures, and desktop signs. Share students' curriculum-related digital art projects on your class web page, blogs, or wiki (with parent permission) as well as your bulletin board. There are no safety concerns with this program because it is locally installed and does not involve interaction with the "general public" or social networking.

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