Web Secrets this Teacher Uses: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Schools starting to allow use of digital devices

Once almost unthinkable, a growing number of schools are allowing - even encouraging - the use of cellphones and other portable digital devices in the classroom.
Some say it is an inevitable culture shift that can enrich education, while others warn of potential dangers like inattention and cheating.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/10/24/20101024cellphones-school-classroom.html#ixzz13zLQbsXv

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What do ya'll think? Its a real cost benefit situation that does not have an easy answer. I know that we will be struggling with this issue for years to come.

Interactive Websites for Interactive Whiteboards

http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html

This is a great gigantic list, and it appears to be updated frequently of sites that you can use with an interactive whiteboard.

Check it out! Bookmark it!

Friday, October 29, 2010

100 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers

This is beyond awesome!

The hardest part of dealing with YouTube as a teacher is finding what is worth using and what is not through all the "noise" on that site.

This is a list of 100 YouTube locations teachers should know, bookmark, and subscribe to.

I will be using this next week! You should too!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Bookmarklets-The Magic Browser Add-ons

Sometimes schools will lock down browsers to prevent add-ons from being installed. This is good from a security standpoint, but terrible from a teaching standpoint because the add-ons can really add incredible and valuable tools for teaching and for accessibility on the student end.

Bookmarklets are the answer to this problem! They do not require installation.

I use the Print What You Like bookmarklet all the time to make website printouts more readable and to get rid of all the nonsense and ad junk. Saves valuable ink and makes my students better able to read what I want them to.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Bookmarklets-The-Magic-Browser-Add-ons

Monday, October 11, 2010

List of Favorite Websites and Resources for Interactive Whiteboards

New Hubpages hub listing great resources for interactive whiteboards.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Edheads - Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery - Virtual Brain Surgery

http://www.edheads.org/activities/brain_stimulation/swf/index.htm

Learn Brain Anatomy through simulated surgery

Place The State — History.com Interactive Games, Maps and Timelines

Many a student has learned their states using this free game from history.com . It works really well on interactive whiteboards, but is just as effective on a personal pc or laptop.

Beginner focuses on drag and drop physical location relative to other states.
Intermediate focuses on physical location without the help of other states (as they disappear when you drop them)
Expert focuses on exact location and capital knowledge-States disappear when dropped in the proper location and a pop-up asks for the capital of the state.