Assignment #4.1 - Locating and Sharing Lessons
Looking for Lessons?
Here are some web sites that you can use as starters as you begin your search for non-traditional uses of 21st Century technology tools in your classroom.
To access Thinkfinity, go to http://www.mped.org/home.aspx
To access National Geographic, go to http://www.nationalgeographic.org/
Advanced Learning Technologies in Education Consortia (ALTEC), http://4teachers.org/
Kathy Schrock http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/
Share at least 3 - 4 interesting lessons you found (or are currently using) with your group in the Group Discussion Area.
1. This website is fun and interactive, great to use when doing a lesson about erosion. Testing each combination in this virtual lab gives students the ability to run their own tests. Lastly, those students can see the results and present their findings to the teacher.
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/videos/dsc/externalApplications/virtual_labs-es/Erosion/index.html
2. This website is all about exposing students to math problems that align to state standards. The website isn’t a big technology site but I feel that so much is expected from students with the state assessment, that this is an easy way to give students practice at valuable math problems. The website does cost money but when you click on the practice button for any grade, you can access sample problems.
http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/
3. This website is awesome! This is a way the students can listen to the book read aloud to them from celebrities. Each book comes with lesson activities to go along with the book that the student just heard. This is a great way that students can hear favorite books read aloud and hear them read fluently.
http://www.storylineonline.net/
4. Here are some websites to use when learning about food chains in 5th grade science class. You could use the Smart board for whole group instruction and other times they explore on their own.
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.html
http://www.quia.com/rr/53234.html
http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/foodpuzzlechain.html
5. Here are some websites to use when teaching the body systems. A lot is for researching in groups, but the second one listed is a great site for short video clips with a quiz at the end.
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000124.html
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/htbw_main_page.html
http://www.kidinfo.com/Health/Human_Body.html
6. This is a website to use in reading groups a lot. It’s your typical story maps, only online. They can type and print and they think it’s the greatest!
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/story-30008.html
7. Google Earth
Google Earth is a free download available from Google. Within Google Earth are many useful tools to go along with different curricular areas. Below is a site with a slide show of possible uses.
http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/GeogP/gearthplan/
Another site the language arts department might use is Google Lit Trips.
http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html
One trip correlates with The Odyssey, which grade nine teaches. The trip will take you to the Google Earth view of the various settings of The Odyssey and show actual photographs of places. It traces the entire voyage. That is just one example. Other lit trips that correlate with school curriculum include Night and The Grapes of Wrath. There are also many uses for history, for example, taking students to actual battlefields. The uses are endless, and you can find many more by Googling Google Earth lessons. However, you are warned, once you get in, you will be jumping all over the world looking at places. It is fun.
8. Picasa
Picasa is a free web-based application that you can use to organize, edit, and share photos. It also allows you to create slideshows with captions. The program offers simple editing tools, such as getting rid of red eye, changing color settings, changing tones, for example to sepia tones, writing captions, and zooming in. Teachers through elementary students would be able to use this. Uses would include using photos and slide shows for projects and reports and sharing these. Students can create collages from original photos or free access photos from the web. These can be used in any class including social studies, language arts, and art. What makes Picasa better than Google Presentation is the ability to edit and enhance the photos. The first site below has ideas for uses of Picasa. A good link on this site is Picasa (and Photo Story) in Education. Because this is free and web-based it is an alternative to I-movie.
http://picasained.wikispaces.com/
9. YouTube
YouTube is a great 21st century tool, both as a resource for teachers and as a tool for students. Below is a nice article with an overview of YouTube in the classroom.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/dyck/dyck016.shtml
(At this point I would like to mention that some teachers say that YouTube is blocked at their schools, and they assume it is blocked by EduTech. That is not quite accurate. YouTube is available at Minot High School. If you are a North Dakota teacher, most schools in ND have a basic filter from EduTech that meets the Federal CIPA requirements for school Internet filters. You can read about in on this page: http://www.edutech.nodak.edu/support/policies/internet_filtering/ . If YouTube is blocked in your school, that is because your school has requested it be blocked. EduTech does not block it as part of its basic filter. You may check with your school to see if the block can be lifted.)
Many videos are educational lessons. Below is a link to educational videos on YouTube.
http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/100-best-youtube-videos-for-teachers/
Another good article for how to use YouTube is below. The article lists safe ways to use YouTube videos in class.
http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/you-tube-in-the-classroom-ways-you-can-say-yes/
Check out all the videos in TeacherTube. As you find wonderful videos, you can create an account in YouTube to save your favorites. If you want to show a portion of a video, here is a link that shows you how to do that.
http://www.tubechop.com/
If you want students to access YouTube, there is a safety feature you can activate. Here is a link to a YouTube video on the safety feature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWO5f7IsKY8
High school students love to post their own videos in YouTube. That is a way to create web-based videos without worrying about compatibility issues. Also, if you want student videos posted but made private, on May 12 an unlisted video feature was started in YouTube. This would be great for school assignments. Here is a link on how to create unlisted videos.
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=181547
If you look at only one link, make it this one. This is a YouTube video of the history of war from WWII to the present told through the foods of the country. Interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-yldqNkGfo
10. This is a lesson to use in teaching metaphors and similes. This particular lesson goes with smart boards. It is for the senteo clickers. Students may love doing this instead of worksheets.
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Senteo/USA/Elementary/4-6/Language+Arts/Metaphors+and+Similes+Question+Set.htm
11. This is a lesson to do when teaching about Pearl Harbor. It has good information, and the students like to see what happened.
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/ax/frameset.html
12. This is a website students like to go on when they have free time. They really enjoy doing the activities.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_6th_original.htm
13. This site offers innovative ways to correlate student literature with grammar through the use of poetry. Grammar is now fun and creative instead of boring and obsolete.
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/polishing-preposition-skills-through-1100.html?tab=4#tabs
14. 6th grade social studies is centered on ancient history. This particular site offers anything from Egyptian facts, maps, photos, videos, and an interactive short quiz to test knowledge prior to starting the unit.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/egypt-photos/#pyramids-giza-egypt_6699_600x450.jpg
15. 6th grade earth science touches base with weather and how to better understand weather. One in particular is the greenhouse effect. This interactive and very useful site offers inventive ways to introduce students to both the greenhouse effect and global warming through internet research.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/weather/
16. This site has K-6 lessons dealing with math. It is especially useful when trying to teach number sense and not knowing what path to take. It has some great games and ideas to offer.
http://www.ixl.com/math/grade/second/
17. Scholastic has many things to offer other than books. This link takes you to their lesson plan page where you can download many lessons to use. They also have a link for Teacher Share which allows you to join groups and share ideas and lessons with other teachers.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/teach.jsp?lt=TNav:TR:home&ESP=TR/ib//acq/main_tnav_TR///nav/txtl////
18. This is a fourth grade teacher’s site and she has put almost everything she does on the internet. You can get ideas and lessons from her site as well as many links to other sites to use, both for teacher and for student.
http://www.mrsrenz.net/teacherzone.htm
19. This site, although you have to pay for it, is amazing. It has books that are read to you, both picture books and chapter books. It is great for students to log in and listen to online. You may consider having your school purchase access to the site.
http://www.tumblebooks.com/
Assignment #4.2 - Teaching Strategies
How would this topic/this activity fit into my curriculum at the grade level I teach?
A. Hotlists
The first step in introducing students to the power of the Internet for learning is linking to the sites that relate directly to the curriculum. There are basically three ways of sharing Internet sites with your students.
paper list of URL’s
bookmarks
links from a personal, or school, web page
Most of my day is spent in our schools computer lab or in my room with twelve lap tops. I use all three ways to introduce a new internet site to my students. I use a paper copy for younger students. The software I use with my students is linked on our school web page and I really encourage each student to access the software through the website link. Fourth and Fifth grade students I will require them to learn to bookmark the sites the use the most. The web based software that I was is a great way for students to learn how to bookmark web pages.
B. Multimedia Scrapbook
Scrapbooks are great to use if students already have a general understanding of the subject being studied. With a Multimedia Scrapbook, learners can dig through a collection of Internet sites that focus on specific categories such as photographs, maps, stories, facts, quotations, sound clips, videos, virtual tours, etc. Students can learn to copy or download specific items into various projects like reports, slide shows, collages, bulletin boards, or even to their own web page.
This type of activity doesn’t really fit into what I do for the school I work at. If I was a classroom teacher I could definitely fine ways to use a multimedia scrapbooking. I would find it useful when I introduced a subject/topic and taught it for awhile and then let the students create an online scrapbook for themselves on what was learned.
C. Treasure Hunt
A good way to help students develop some solid knowledge about a subject is to create a Treasure Hunt on the Web. Created by the teacher, the students, or both, the basic strategy is to find Web pages that hold information (text, graphics, sound, video, etc) that is essential to understanding a particular topic. When developing the Treasure Hunt, plan to gather 10-15 links (the exact URL is needed to avoid unnecessary searching). It’s a good idea to have extra URLs since there is no guarantee a Web site will be there when the students need to use the Treasure Hunt.
After the links have been identified, compose one key question for each link. A sheet of notepaper or a word processing document could be used to record the information the students find.
TIP: Remember to choose questions that define the scope or parameters of the topic. The final question could be the culminating “big question” where students can synthesize what they have learned and use it to create a broader understanding of the topic being studied.
I didn’t use this activity last school year but I plan to do this to start the year out this school year. I had a teacher in high school that loved to teach use about a subject and then use the computer lab to do a scavenger hunt on what we learned. I loved these hunts as a student and retained more about the subject because I was actively participating on the computer.
D. Subject Sampler
Part of what makes the Internet so great is the quirky, passionate, and real stuff that many people and organizations post there. Subject Samplers tap into these elements in order to give students an idea of the choices and differing views over specific topics they are learning about in class. Learners are presented with a small number of intriguing Web sites that are organized around the main topic. The sites reflect a variety of impressions and views of the topic, presenting the student with the opportunity to draw conclusions about whether they agree or disagree with the position presented. So, instead of looking for only the “right” answer, the students are invited to join a community of learners examining a topic.
I love this idea/activity but I don’t use it and probably won’t use it with elementary students. At the high school level I can see this working well with reflecting on a certain subject/topic. High school and maybe middle school students could possibly create a blog. This way student’s could have a discussion and report their research in their own words in-with the class.
References:
Your Gross and Cool Body - Skeletal System . (n.d.). The Yuckiest Site on the Internet. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000124.html
100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers
Smart Teaching. (n.d.). SmartTeaching.org - Online Teacher Certificates - Become a Teacher. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/100-best-youtube-videos-for-teachers
4Teachers : Main Page. (n.d.). 4Teachers : Main Page. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://4teachers.org/
Attack Map - Remembering Pearl Harbor @ nationalgeographic.com. (n.d.). National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care About the Planet Since 1888. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/ax/frameset.html
Chain Reaction - Build a Food Chain. (n.d.). Welcome to EcoKids Online. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm
Curtis, C. P. (n.d.). Welcome to Google Lit Trips!. Google Lit Trips . Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html
Education World ® Technology Center: Brenda's Blog: Using YouTube in the Classroom. (n.d.). Education World® The Educator's Best Friend. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/dyck/dyck016.shtml
Food Puzzle Chain. (n.d.). Zephyrus Interactive Education Website. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/foodpuzzlechain.html
Food Web - Menu. (n.d.). Harcourt School Publishers. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.html
Google Earth Lessons. (n.d.). Shambles in S.E.Asia (The Education Project Asia) at www.shambles.net. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/GeogP/gearthplan
How the Body Works Main Page . (n.d.). KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/htbw_main_page.html
IXL - Second Grade Math Practice. (n.d.). IXL Math. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.ixl.com/math/grade/second
IXL Math - Practice. (n.d.). IXL Math. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.ixl.com/math/practice
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Home Page - Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators. (n.d.). Discovery Education Classroom Resources. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide
Kidinfo.com - Your Guide to the Human Body and Human Body Systems. (n.d.). Kidinfo.com - Your Guide to Homework Help and the BEST Informative and Fun Websites. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.kidinfo.com/Health/Human_Body.html
Mrs. Renz's 4th Grade Class -Teacher Zone. (n.d.). Mrs. Renz's 4th Grade Class - Redmond, Oregon. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.mrsrenz.net/teacherzone.htm
National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care About the Planet Since 1888. (n.d.). National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care About the Planet Since 1888. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.nationalgeographic.org/
Polishing Preposition Skills through Poetry and Publication - ReadWriteThink. (n.d.). Homepage - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/polishing-preposition-skills-through-1100.html?tab=4#tabs
Quia - Grade 3 What Living Things Need & the Food Chain. (n.d.). Quia. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.quia.com/rr/53234.html
SMART - Language Arts Metaphors and Similes (Question Set). (n.d.). SMART - Home. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Senteo/USA/Elementary/4-6/Language+Arts/Metaphors+and+Similes+Question+Set.htm
Sixth (6th) Grade Skills
Grade Level Help at Internet 4 Classrooms. (n.d.). Internet4Classrooms - Helping Students, Teachers and Parents Use the Internet Effectively. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_6th_original.htm
Story Map - ReadWriteThink. (n.d.). Homepage - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/story-30008.html
Storyline Online. (n.d.). Storyline Online. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.storylineonline.net/
Teaching Resources, Ideas, Lesson Plans, and Tools for Teachers Grades PreK-12
Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Teaching Resources, Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities
Scholastic.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/teach.jsp?lt=TNav:TR:home&ESP=TR/ib//acq/main_tnav_TR///nav/txtl////
TubeChop - Chop YouTube Videos. (n.d.). TubeChop - Chop YouTube Videos. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.tubechop.com/
Tumblebooks - eBooks for eKids!. (n.d.). Tumblebooks - eBooks for eKids!. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.tumblebooks.com/
Understanding Weather - Lesson Plan Library. (n.d.). Discovery Education Classroom Resources. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/weather
Unlisted videos - YouTube Help. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=181547
Virtual Lab. (n.d.). Welcome to Discovery Education. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.unitedstreaming.com/videos/dsc/externalApplications/virtual_labs-es/Erosion/index.html
You Tube In The Classroom? : Ways You Can Say Yes! « 21 st Century Educational Technology and Learning. (n.d.). 21 st Century Educational Technology and Learning. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/you-tube-in-the-classroom-ways-you-can-say-yes
YouTube - YouTube Safety Mode . (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWO5f7IsKY8
YouTube-Food Fight . (n.d.). YouTube-Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved July 11, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-yldqNkGfo
