tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60199062758277091842024-03-13T16:26:26.216-04:00Technology in the CloudsTechnology information for teachers and parents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-42182469937383476632009-02-22T09:52:00.003-05:002009-02-22T10:20:28.103-05:00Into the Book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAyrFVvY21f5vfgTa-KvZvsV5-t1SaG7fzuGpwTCYCh0jmtvxlWRmbyfHbXEIsy6N2IhJsMeH_YUCz-DNNnc6s2mNZQY_DfJSylFUfFloivkPgf5hGLG3hslu-P3H7n4WWuPCUQEYf9M/s1600-h/Into+the+Book.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAyrFVvY21f5vfgTa-KvZvsV5-t1SaG7fzuGpwTCYCh0jmtvxlWRmbyfHbXEIsy6N2IhJsMeH_YUCz-DNNnc6s2mNZQY_DfJSylFUfFloivkPgf5hGLG3hslu-P3H7n4WWuPCUQEYf9M/s320/Into+the+Book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305641369714991090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a href="http://reading.ecb.org/index.html">Into the Book</a> is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers. The site focuses on eight research-based strategies: </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Using Prior Knowledge</span>,<span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> Making Connections,</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> Questioning</span>, <span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Visualizing, </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Inferring, </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Summarizing, </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Evaluating, and </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">S</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ynthesizing</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Once students click on the book to get into their section of the site, they are given a login key based on their first name and an assigned number. As students work their way through the different activities their work is saved and they can go back and retreive their work at a later time, or work from home.<br /><br />To enter an activity students click on the different icons on the entry page and drag them to a book. A short video then explains the strategy and students take part in an activity that supports the use of the strategy. For example, the synthesizing activity first informs students what it means to synthesize information and then has the students use the skill to create a movie poster for Biopics Studio. During the activity, students are walked through each step to create their poster and at the end, have the opportunity to print the poster they created.<br /><br />This site is colorful, informative and fun. Each activity can easily fit into a class period, or if time runs out, students can save their work and finish it later. There is also a teacher area with lesson plans for each section. This is definitely a site that will help students learn important strategies for learning to read and write.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-31205141532363763582009-02-06T21:27:00.007-05:002009-02-08T10:38:29.391-05:00World Maths Day '09<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrhb_KaxgcEVB0tUcYnEDL0ohCqcSBrmUtYNqnNBwc8PDnQE_mDfIt6aw69fuIBI6DIMIj1ILsVrghxHPh9fSgciZ70UYXiAfyjWH7cEUdHvSUTRKcpF5A-Ye48GGhvG3xH5C9che4n0/s1600-h/World_Maths.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrhb_KaxgcEVB0tUcYnEDL0ohCqcSBrmUtYNqnNBwc8PDnQE_mDfIt6aw69fuIBI6DIMIj1ILsVrghxHPh9fSgciZ70UYXiAfyjWH7cEUdHvSUTRKcpF5A-Ye48GGhvG3xH5C9che4n0/s320/World_Maths.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299885059687463842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Are you ready for the <a href="http://www.worldmathday.com/">World Maths Day '09</a> challenge? If not, start getting prepared for this global event that involves students from all over the world playing against each other in real-time math battles.<br /><br />It's thanks to the iLearn Technology blog that I found out about this website that provides a fun way for students to practice their math facts as they challenge others around the world. Schools can register their students to take part in this event where children are grouped by their age. Check with your school to see if they are taking part in this event. If your child has been registered, a user name and password was already created. Only a student's first name and the initial of their last name will be displayed and each child has the opportunity to create an avatar that will represent them while they're online.<br /><br />Children in Kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible to participate. </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Each challenge lasts for 60 seconds and has math problems that are appropriate for the age level. Once the student enters the challenge the site looks for other children around the world who are the same age. The game begins when either other online challengers are found, or if no one is available the students will play against the computer.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />The actual <a href="http://www.worldmathday.com/">World Maths Day</a> challenge will being at 12:00am, Wednesday, March 4th on the International Dateline and will end 48 hours later when it is no longer March 4th anywhere in the world. The easiest way to find out when the challenge will begin is to check the <a href="http://www.worldmathday.com/">World Maths Day '09</a> website.<br /><br />Don't wait, register now and start practicing for this worldwide event!<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-14272330545061103792009-02-03T20:14:00.003-05:002009-02-03T20:44:23.240-05:00Google Earth 5.0<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvL45r5mDORIwHhS_GVfqq7QkRi-du8bmOY_SS_4ZI5oqiZUjRZSOKkLNDtnt_Utf1AdAquv-6YfsthANoSvwsdDoO_vAnPqtsmWdv-zOg0Msv4fmmkW4Odi0myUt3fAtxm0AbaVCUCE/s1600-h/Google+Earth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvL45r5mDORIwHhS_GVfqq7QkRi-du8bmOY_SS_4ZI5oqiZUjRZSOKkLNDtnt_Utf1AdAquv-6YfsthANoSvwsdDoO_vAnPqtsmWdv-zOg0Msv4fmmkW4Odi0myUt3fAtxm0AbaVCUCE/s200/Google+Earth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298745944450243106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">Each version of <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a> gets better and better! If you aren't familiar with this free application, <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a> allows you to quickly fly to anywhere on earth as well as to locations in outer space. The latest version also lets users explore the oceans.<br /><br />Whether you are exploring the Earth, rocketing off to outer spaces or diving into the oceans you will find rich media from world renowned scientific organizations. There is something for everyone to and easy to use. <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a> is a great tool for learning about geography, astronomy, animals, fish, etc. Use the grid tool to explore longitude and latitude, or the ruler tool to measure the distance to school or to Disney World. In addition, view famous places in recreated 3D buildings and fly by the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal.<br /><br />Although this isn't a web-based program, <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a> does update it's information by contacting the <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a> servers. If you aren't ready to download the program try out <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a>. You may be surprised to find that it even might have a street view of your school or your house!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-40314482077444066212009-01-26T10:50:00.005-05:002009-01-27T09:03:27.020-05:00Tutpup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6WMZ7jEoq19kAx6ptL5FOSZj57dUcgSOHBEUQIJk4oL1DQWCytVGbpkMHNZ-8oaWCqu1yRoJfPHfa-wLl5DfQGRGGO38gydoBD2T_42MSyAlrdLH76pZ6IOmQJiYckQltfdgB925Ans/s1600-h/Tutpup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6WMZ7jEoq19kAx6ptL5FOSZj57dUcgSOHBEUQIJk4oL1DQWCytVGbpkMHNZ-8oaWCqu1yRoJfPHfa-wLl5DfQGRGGO38gydoBD2T_42MSyAlrdLH76pZ6IOmQJiYckQltfdgB925Ans/s400/Tutpup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295632429436967058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a href="http://tutpup.com/">Tutpup</a> is a free web site whose focus is to help children gain confidence and mastery of basic educational skills. Children from all around the world can log in to <a href="http://tutpup.com/">Tutpup</a> and play games against each other.<br /><br />I first found out about <a href="http://tutpup.com/">Tutpup</a> while watching a video on <a href="http://www.teachers.tv/video/30868">teachers.tv</a>. I follow the blog of one of the teachers shown in the video, Tom Barrett and he uses <a href="http://tutpup.com/">Tutpup</a> with his students. The students enjoy competing with other children around the world as they are also practicing their math and spelling skills.<br /><br />Teachers can create a class code that students use when they register for <a href="http://tutpup.com/">Tutpup</a>. When registering, students are only asked to provide only minimal information, their first name and year of birth. After students are registered and have played the games teachers can check out their students' progress by going to the Reports section. Since this is a UK web site, teachers should check out the levels that would be appropriate for their students.<br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-25275151028101446412009-01-25T09:31:00.003-05:002009-01-25T09:51:33.992-05:00Panwapa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fx71yLaoAbJb-cluFRRv7xi-z9_51EDNMdGnclpZyF3JgiB9R5V_e7BYS2fgh93lMn18sxlgs9qRI_xyrrNtR_OeIPK4isQQRTwugux480Aj6yZQ9E5ndJ8R1Ey8M-7aEqpCGFT71VM/s1600-h/Panwapa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fx71yLaoAbJb-cluFRRv7xi-z9_51EDNMdGnclpZyF3JgiB9R5V_e7BYS2fgh93lMn18sxlgs9qRI_xyrrNtR_OeIPK4isQQRTwugux480Aj6yZQ9E5ndJ8R1Ey8M-7aEqpCGFT71VM/s400/Panwapa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295244045762460850" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Developed by Sesame Workshop and funded by Merrill Lynch, <a href="http://panwapa.com/">Panwapa.com</a> is a free, non-commercial site that is designed to inspire and empower children to be responsible global citizens.</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> This exciting web site provides a wonderful opportunity for schools and organizations to teach children about the world and its people. <a href="http://panwapa.com/">Panwapa</a> is produced by Sesame Workshop, the people behind Sesame Street, in partnership with the Merrill Lynch Foundation.<br />Aimed at three to seven year olds, but also appropriate for older children, <a href="http://panwapa.com/">Panwapa</a> provides children the opportunity to create their own <a href="http://panwapa.com/">Panwapa</a> kid and explore the globe visiting other <a href="http://panwapa.com/">Panwapa</a> kids. Children can communicate with other kids by leaving their Panwapa cards with a comment selected from a list of messages.<br />In addition to using Panwapa at homes, teachers can access the formal and informal online lessons plans co-written by Gayle Berthiaume and myself, and edited by Seseame Workshop for use in the classroom.<br />Also, be sure to check out the videos available on the site and on iTunes.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-88244740069530324862008-12-08T09:04:00.003-05:002008-12-08T09:23:29.620-05:00Scholastic's Computer Lab Favorites<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKkNg82GPpBw4lZPnY0XVzOPFfmoNtDu2hymMGVm2wG8ZOy6N2b8_UarK0Qv6njrq-oXoWNbd_F0_D-nE7dwK9LAxYnmjM4K9LIfQUJYezdAgKumOspIH645dMEmNuC16bqftC3WCcgo/s1600-h/scholastic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKkNg82GPpBw4lZPnY0XVzOPFfmoNtDu2hymMGVm2wG8ZOy6N2b8_UarK0Qv6njrq-oXoWNbd_F0_D-nE7dwK9LAxYnmjM4K9LIfQUJYezdAgKumOspIH645dMEmNuC16bqftC3WCcgo/s400/scholastic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277420236679233538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/clf/index.htm">Scholastic's Computer Lab Favorites</a> provides an engaging way for teachers to introduce new concepts or reinforce skills. Select either K-2 or 3-5 grade level groups and then either look at all the subject areas or select a specific content area to see what's available. There are many fun, learning activities for many different subject areas.<br /><br />In addition to the activities for the students, Scholastic provides lesson plans and a list of resources to help teachers. It's well worth taking time to check out this site. Then when you have more time, check out all the other resources that Scholastic provides for teachers.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-54587922776742689442008-12-06T19:12:00.004-05:002008-12-06T19:23:44.119-05:00Storyline Online<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRQs0LFJm1ydRFNDdVElc06RKuL-Dex7G8Q7GZYk-06O-NrElzho3NcZ0_7HUpNRcyYrxk4zEFQWKC1q6n94kziF8X7jhHquzUSXR0MonqCxmfUPUiN5IvPj2XeuLEDfERVOc3yNNmhc/s1600-h/Storyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRQs0LFJm1ydRFNDdVElc06RKuL-Dex7G8Q7GZYk-06O-NrElzho3NcZ0_7HUpNRcyYrxk4zEFQWKC1q6n94kziF8X7jhHquzUSXR0MonqCxmfUPUiN5IvPj2XeuLEDfERVOc3yNNmhc/s400/Storyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276835703564963314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Created by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, <a href="http://www.storylineonline.net/">Storyline Online</a> presents 19 children's books read by professional actors such as Melissa Gilbert, Sean Astin and Elijah Wood. As the books are being read, pictures from the book are interspersed with video of the actor reading the story. Each book also includes related activities that can be used by parents or teachers.<br /><br />I've used Storyline Online with my 4th graders to model how they should read with expression as they create their podcasts. The books are fun and, as would be expected, the actors are wonderful.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-47745435087236831722008-12-03T18:42:00.003-05:002008-12-03T18:55:19.083-05:00Highlights for Kids<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZsqz9ytGasMGQ3BSx86k6SyaInz_wDnqLKMmwfN7EhmUDJQ8YRJC0DbLOt5Fld29iR1wRQQldjhDoIuK6XReM6BTLfYL3tjQOkfEizga6RUzpY2zg61-Akgx9PQ5XCaGvAg8i4GAZss/s1600-h/Picture+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZsqz9ytGasMGQ3BSx86k6SyaInz_wDnqLKMmwfN7EhmUDJQ8YRJC0DbLOt5Fld29iR1wRQQldjhDoIuK6XReM6BTLfYL3tjQOkfEizga6RUzpY2zg61-Akgx9PQ5XCaGvAg8i4GAZss/s400/Picture+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275715228041251602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I remember that as I was growing up I would be excited to read <a href="http://www.highlightskids.com/">Highlights</a> whenever I would go to the dentist or doctor. I never had a subscription to the magazine, but I always enjoyed looking at the <span style="font-style: italic;">Hidden Pictures</span>, reading <span style="font-style: italic;">The Timbertoes</span> and the <span style="font-style: italic;">Goofus and Gallant Moments</span>. Now children can go to the HighlightsKids.com web site and enjoy some of the same things.<br /><br />Listen to a story, try one of the easy science activities or create a gingerbread house. Play some of the games online or print them to try later. There are so many activities that it will take some time to explore all the possibilities. Best of all, it's still the same Highlights that I remember enjoying when I was younger.<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-72996600101269508912008-12-03T06:59:00.004-05:002008-12-03T07:19:20.187-05:00Keyboarding Sites<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Being able to find the letters on a keyboard is an important skill for students. The following free web sites give students the ability to learn about keyboarding and practice their skills at home.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18gCP5aWROiCbl9_njXGxraWlUliVj9tJbtpRBDYpWmIYm43pEQQ1N5vfINHCZFrwdDP-YzXDoZ4dHBow0Z_MTDcc3Zk9VUZ-z2q2cZKKvT9ReIjP7nlaJhbxdSuFeFsjWeOpxz6xilU/s1600-h/Picture+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18gCP5aWROiCbl9_njXGxraWlUliVj9tJbtpRBDYpWmIYm43pEQQ1N5vfINHCZFrwdDP-YzXDoZ4dHBow0Z_MTDcc3Zk9VUZ-z2q2cZKKvT9ReIjP7nlaJhbxdSuFeFsjWeOpxz6xilU/s400/Picture+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275534366807927762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">The first site is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/">Dance Mat Typing</a>, an</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> introduction to touch typing for students from 7 - 11 years old. This site is one of the many BBC Schools learning activities and is a fun, colorful, instructive means for students to learn about typing. Students are shown how their fingers should sit on the keyboard and which finger types each of the letters. Having used the site with many of my students I know from experience that the activities keeps them engaged.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXPyU_7kF8yJcJtwS2tLKo3JXtBQYOf9pL3p2LrRAAKqXzPUBA1WVjRD_FG5zt61Q39Ihyphenhyphen2dMcCICEHEKlkOjvNwiRyiYKu2n9rGWrC-w2Um3H-5046uv8BPDnr79t9KOWaTweP5OECg/s1600-h/Picture+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXPyU_7kF8yJcJtwS2tLKo3JXtBQYOf9pL3p2LrRAAKqXzPUBA1WVjRD_FG5zt61Q39Ihyphenhyphen2dMcCICEHEKlkOjvNwiRyiYKu2n9rGWrC-w2Um3H-5046uv8BPDnr79t9KOWaTweP5OECg/s400/Picture+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275535533518990754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">The next site is <a href="http://e-learningforkids.org/courses.html">e-Learning for Kids</a>. Again, in addition to this keyboarding course, there are also math, language arts, and health and life skills courses. It's well worth investigating all the resources. Once again, the activity is fun, colorful and students learn the correct way to keyboard.<br /><br />Regardless of the site used to develop keyboarding skills, parents should take the time and sit with their child to make sure that the correct fingers are used for each letter. Sometimes the students get so caught up in trying to get through the activity they forget the purpose and just use any finger to get the job done! To make the activities even more challenging, try covering their hands on the keyboard with a cardboard box big enough to sit over the keyboard and their hands or cover with a light cloth. This forces the children to develop finger muscle memory since they can't peek at the letters.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-68370422210711048512008-11-28T11:07:00.004-05:002008-12-04T16:54:12.136-05:00Thinkfinity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuY32-Kkwq1XMHzOuqsNe5gxR9dNaIbesz5OtSeb14jOQbRuj_er7K4B975LnSrEjOzn-bhTKXDeppo6O4jrhUKfAenn5HV4wfMwrBBB6nwaedKJn15WMf5KLq8bKhRc740hVIJ4gMvhs/s1600-h/thinkfinity.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 352px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuY32-Kkwq1XMHzOuqsNe5gxR9dNaIbesz5OtSeb14jOQbRuj_er7K4B975LnSrEjOzn-bhTKXDeppo6O4jrhUKfAenn5HV4wfMwrBBB6nwaedKJn15WMf5KLq8bKhRc740hVIJ4gMvhs/s400/thinkfinity.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273744284659741138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a href="http://www.thinkfinity.org/">Thinkfinity.org</a> presents a treasure trove of free, online resources f</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">or teachers and students. As part of the Verizon Foundation's literacy, education and technology inititiative, Thinkfinity's goal is to improve student achievment not only in the classroom, but also beyond by providing quality content.<br /><br />There are several ways to interact with the site. Teachers and students can browse through the featured content or search for specific topics using keywords, subjects, resource type and grade level that are provided by Thinkfinity's national content partners. These partners include the International Reading Association, National Geographic Society, as well as many others.<br /><br />Plan on spending some time browsing through all the different activities and resources, it's well worth it!<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-90068764648189967462008-11-28T08:29:00.007-05:002008-11-28T11:29:34.349-05:00GameGoo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQMqtLQ9tq0hzlnatc7gYRDRB_-nWjQ3Qzk16qC4y94cr_h0YrOFUygpQ8sMC3hyphenhyphenKLdR7nOv2jfTEehhH44lMaFzO51BWQdhkrzmbSh9YZkzIAhN2qV2xypvtieoq7EVSQV2PUVkobW4/s1600-h/GameGoo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQMqtLQ9tq0hzlnatc7gYRDRB_-nWjQ3Qzk16qC4y94cr_h0YrOFUygpQ8sMC3hyphenhyphenKLdR7nOv2jfTEehhH44lMaFzO51BWQdhkrzmbSh9YZkzIAhN2qV2xypvtieoq7EVSQV2PUVkobW4/s400/GameGoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273703306024897602" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/index.html">GameGoo</a></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> provides fun, educational games that help Kindergarten through second grade students develop early reading and language skills. As children play the online games they are actually practicing the skills that will help them become better readers. Standards based, and with supportive audio, this site is a great, fun way to help students as they learn to read.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Developed by </span><a style="font-family: lucida grande;" href="http://www.earobics.com/">Earobics</a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">, a well known provider of language and learning software, </span><a style="font-family: lucida grande;" href="http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/index.html">GameGoo</a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> is a free online site. Teachers can safely use GameGoo games in the classroom as learning centers to reinforce instruction. <span style="font-style: italic;">Note: since audio is an important component of this program, headphones would be helpful.</span></span><br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-35705116668216625632008-11-25T10:11:00.005-05:002008-11-28T11:30:10.221-05:00Tux Paint<a style="font-family: lucida grande;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXItePV3FlomG4r_D-An3qxWVT_kei8WVks4CTKYTyUgdzrI6RYQiGGsUMC7VES8JFua2qQiOCtC0goq_FXrWEPAbvPCIz3dS7O1EgxVg91_gLZCMQXh9Hj6_adScwGWqm81Bk9YcciK0/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXItePV3FlomG4r_D-An3qxWVT_kei8WVks4CTKYTyUgdzrI6RYQiGGsUMC7VES8JFua2qQiOCtC0goq_FXrWEPAbvPCIz3dS7O1EgxVg91_gLZCMQXh9Hj6_adScwGWqm81Bk9YcciK0/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272618353354767618" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">Working in an elementary school I've learned to appreciate applications that I can suggest for my students to use at home. These programs need to be safe, easy to use and have the ability to be integrated with the curriculum in multiple ways.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">One of the programs that I'm using this year is </span><a style="font-family: lucida grande;" href="http://www.tuxpaint.org/">Tux Paint</a><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">. Tux Paint is a free drawing program that can be used by children preschool through sixth grade. Besides the fact that the program is free, I also like the fact that it is available for Mac, Linux and Windows and by following the easy to use directions I'm able to add custom stamps to help students with their projects.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">We're presently using the program for students to create illustrations to go along with their fairy tail retells. It's easy for students to use, has been extremely stable and includes a number of features that high end children's drawing programs include.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019906275827709184.post-86334396734546257812008-11-22T09:40:00.004-05:002009-01-27T09:05:24.996-05:00Welcome!<blockquote style="font-family: lucida grande;"></blockquote><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Welcome to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;" >Technology in the Clouds</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">. A blog created to communicate with parents who have children in the K-4 schools in Mount Laurel, NJ. This blog will carry information about ways in which technology can help their children learn through the use of technology. </span><div style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /></div><div style="font-family:lucida grande;">I chose the name <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Technology in the Clouds </span>for a couple of reasons. First of all, because we should be reaching as high as we can when using technology and secondly, due to all the Web 2.0 applications that are now available. One of the terms that I hear bandied about is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Cloud Computing</span>. I thought I knew what <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Cloud Computing</span> meant, but just to be sure, I googled it. The best definition came from <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/10/web-20-and-cloud-computing.html#definitions">O'Reilly Radar</a> and says:<blockquote></blockquote></div><div face="lucida grande"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Any web application is a cloud application in the sense that it resides in the cloud. Google, Amazon, Facebook, twitter, flickr, and virtually every other Web 2.0 application is a cloud application in this sense. However, it seems to me that people use the term "cloud" more specifically in describing web applications that were formerly delivered locally on a PC, like spreadsheets, word processing, databases, and even email. Thus even though they may reside on the same server farm, people tend to think of gmail or Google docs and spreadsheets as "cloud applications" in a way that they don't think of Google search or Google maps."</span></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande;">So let's reach for the clouds and find ways in which we can help our students learn, create, collaborate and share with with others.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0