Teacher+Resources

**Videos **
100 Best Video Sources []

Discovery Education www.discoveryeducation.com (Requires passcode. Teachers contact me (cgelman@somersschools.org) for school passcode).

Technology
Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - this is a fabulous resource on everything from using IPADs in the classroom to concept maps and assessments!

Common Core and Technology
Common Core and Technology - where useful technology meets teaching of math and English. Digital Citizenship and Common Core - a collection of videos and links about digital citizenship

Research Project Models
Baltimore City Public Schools Middle School Research Projects

=American Assocation of School Librarians Top Websites for Teaching and Learning:= =**Media Sharing**= **Tagxedo** Dazzle your project with these word clouds. Choose a picture or shape, then add your words and voila, a visually enticing display. Tagxedo can be used to demonstrate speeches, animal reports, or anything else you can imagine. **Aviary** Create logos, web templates, screen captures, edit your photos and more at Aviary. This site is full of online creation tools, get ready to explore and create with these applications that can be used with your web browser. **Nota** Connect, collaborate, and co-create in real time! Nota, a dynamic whiteboard wiki, allows multiple users to write and integrate text, paste photos and maps, add video and audio to make brainstorms, presentations, and scrapbooks in a snap. Projeqt describes itself as "dynamic presentations for a real time world." Use it to create linear and stacked slide presentations for any type of event. Embed images, text, documents, or add data from your favorite social media tools. Tip: Use in your library to create a stacked slide show to feature books by genre. Gamestar Mechanic is an interactive site that leads users through the game design experience. This site teaches the principals of game design and systems thinking in a highly engaging environment that allows users to share games with other community members. Tip: Use as part of a STEM initiative, Gamestar Mechanic has a teacher's page with useful lesson plans. Do more than watch a video: discuss, question, and comment. Vialogues puts the “think and do” into video watching. Vialogues allows you to post a video and then invite participants to answer questions, discuss or just comment. This asynchronous tool can be used for private or public interactions. Tip: Use this tool with media literacy lessons. Popplet delivers an interactive way to create concept maps, mind maps, and options to brainstorm or storyboard right along with peers. The “popplets” can be constructed, moved, color coded, typed in, drawn in, and have images or videos inserted. Popplet is a nice addition to the teacher toolbox that can meet a variety of needs, including concept mapping, collaboration, and even presenting content. TIP: Have students make a genre presentation by taking a series of books and working collaboratively to make various connections to booktrailers, images, and more. Tell stories with graphics, text, and audio with this visually compelling application on desktops, iPads and iPhones. Network socially without sidebars, ads, or logos in this online environment that focuses on the content you create with photos, video, and slideshows.Tip: Use this tool to share daily life in your dynamic library with the school community using video, photos, and text. **Glogster** Remember the old the poster board presentations? Well, they are now digital, motivating and very visually exciting. Use these digital posters to create a book review, an interactive front page for a wiki, an innovative topic exploration or any other demonstration of learning using video, graphics, text, etc. **Masher** Are you a little hesitant to create videos? Masher makes it’s easy. You can "mix, mash, and share" video clips, audio files, and photos into polished movies. Students own content as well as media from the BBC Motion Gallery and Rip Curl free for the mashing, and can then be shared on social media sites or via email. **Prezi** Getting tired of the old linear PowerPoint presentations? Then switch to Prezi and start to create fantastic, brain-friendly presentations. Use the "zebra wheel" to customize, non-linear creative presentations that can kept for online access or downloaded for personal or professional use. Include pictures, videos, and more. Free presentations for anyone and extended options for teachers and those in Education. **Professor Garfield** Are you looking to engage kids in a safe online setting and provide 21st century learning opportunities? Professor Garfield provides an environment where children can safely create, interact, read, engage, and express themselves through a variety of innovative online tools including an e-book reader and comics lab. **SchoolTube** This is the ideal place for teachers and students to share videos online. Create your own channel for your school or share videos with other students and educators. Instructions on how to load, create, and compress videos as well as how to create video contests and TV shows for your school. It's all here in SchoolTube. **WatchKnow.org** Don't let you students' videos languish on your computer's hard drive. WatchKnow is a free and easily accessible way to share educational videos with students and staff. Organized for easy searching, you can even search by age, and has the ability for you to download your own videos to share with others. =**Digital Storytelling**= **PicLits** If a picture is worth a thousand words, then let this site provide the picture to inspire your words. Choose a picture from the gallery, and add text. Word choices are available or use your own. There is also an introduction to writing poetry using this tool. **Zooburst** Add a new dimension to storytelling, reports, and presentations with ZooBurst’s digital 3-D tool. In this safe and protected space, students create and customize pop-up stories; add their own voice to characters, upload artwork or items from a built-in database of over 10,000 free images and materials. **Myths and Legends** A site for those who enjoy stories and storytelling. Read digital myths, folktales and legends about the British Isles. Students and teachers can add to the stories and there are thousands of stories to choose from. Comicmaster is a free, easy to use tool for creating short graphic novels. While the backgrounds and characters are somewhat limited, it's possible to make and print comics at this site without creating an account. The site also has an educational resources page with lesson plans and ideas for using comics in the classroom. Tip: Have students create or write graphic novels to share amongst their peers in the library. What story do you wish to tell? The Ghost Who Made Friends with the Genie or how about The Fox Who Wanted a Cupcake? My Storymaker is the perfect storytelling environment for confident and reluctant writers to tell these stories and hundreds more. As you control a character’s actions, emotions, and interactions, the program writes the story. Tip: Use with kids who feel unsuccessful and frustrated during creative writing activities. This interactive digital graphic novel is set in the early years of the 21st century. It tells the story of Alice through text, sound, games, and music. The story is wonderful and the design in fabulous, readers will love it. Students will enjoy this story in five parts, librarians and teachers will like the education pack as well. Tip: Use with a digital projector for group reading activities. **International Children's Digital Library** The largest digital collections of children’s book, ICDL contains over 4,400 books in 54 languages representing 64 countries with applications for the iPhone and the new larger screen, iPad. **Jing** Do you need to quickly snap a picture of your screen or record a video of an onscreen action? Jing is the solution; it's free software that adds visuals to your online conversations. Include it in an email, Website, or IM. **Storybird** Do your students like to tell stories? Storybird will help them to create short, visual stories. You can save them, share them and (soon) print them. Use Storybird's beautiful watercolor illustrations to tell your story. =**Manage and Organize**= **Spicy Nodes** Spicy Nodes is a concept map presentation tool that allows the users to link and embed pictures, websites, and more into the overall presentation. Easy to use and fun to show, Spicy Nodes is whole new way to present your information. **Conduit** Enhance your online presence with a toolbar and/or apps. This intuitive website makes it easy and fun to create innovative ways to expand access to your materials from anywhere and on any device. **Symbaloo** Customize your own online start page with Symbaloo. Organize and access your favorites easily and quickly. Create your own personal internet desktop with Symbaloo. **iCyte** Save all of your websites with iCyte. This Web 2.0 tool will keep all of your sites just as you found them. This is a research management tool that lets you save and annotate entire websites. It doesn't just bookmark, but lets you annotate parts of websites for your citations. Just what every teacher needs, a quick and simple cool tool! Quicklyst does more than let student take notes or make lists. Students can organize, save and search their notes with just a username and password. Registration is not needed. This easy to use site connects to Wikipedia and Merriam Webster. Download, print or send notes to a Kindle. Tip: Have students use the organization capabilities as a pre-writing tool before they create their research projects. SpiderScribe is the visual learner’s ideal tool. Collect a series of files including documents, pictures, maps and more, and create a concept map based on the collection. Lay them out for optimal visualization. Share them. Even collaborate to build them. Be it text, images, files, or events. Tip: Take your annual book award nominees, and collect a variety of files that match each title (including images, maps, etc.) Build the connections to these files from each book. Collaborate, create, organize, and share content on Stixyboards, a flexible Web-based bulletin board. Customize and design an unlimited number of digital bulletin boards by uploading files, drag ‘n’ dropping photos, notes, images, documents, or to-do lists. Tip: Use this site to help students organize information in a way that make sense to them to collaboratively create and share projects. This site is a powerful, user-friendly tool for creating to-do lists and task management. The full-featured mobile version allows you to manage your lists and tasks anytime. Reminder methods let you receive notices of upcoming tasks via email, SMS, and instant messenger. To-do lists and tasks can also be shared with others who use the site. Tip: Use the site to work with others on a collaborative project to organize everyone’s tasks and to help the group meet deadlines. **Evernote** Tired of trying to keep track or find your various notes on taken throughout the day and want to be able to organize your thoughts from a variety of sources? Evernote will do this and you can access it from anywhere, even your iPhone. **jogtheweb** Do you want an easy and innovative way to guide students through the Internet? jogtheweb is a web-based tool that allows anyone to create a synchronous guide to a series of Websites. Its step-by-step approach of taking viewers through Websites allowing the author to annotate and ask guiding questions for each page is unique. Give it a try and start creating your own jogs. **Live Binders** This fun and easy-to-use site makes it easy to organize and share sources. Teachers can use it as a presentation tool, plan an interactive lesson, or engage with students on the research process. **MuseumBox** This site allows students to place items into virtual boxes; these items can include images, video, text, and sound. MuseumBox can be used across the curriculum and can help students to describe a person, place, thing, event, idea, or issue. The site facilitates description, debate, investigation, and exploration and development of ideas and issues. **Pageflakes** Create your own personalized homepage with Pageflakes. You can include all of your favorite internet sites and arrange them as you wish on your page. The "flakes" - small versions of the web pages you prefer - could include sites that focus on a specific hobby or interest, a particular subject area, a classroom study topic or current events. =**Social Networking & Communication**= **3G Vision i-nigma** i-nigma lets users create Quick Response barcodes that will link users to website links, encoded messages, contact information, or text messages. i-nigma also has a QR reader that users can download for their computer, i-pad or mobile device. i-nigma can be used by 400 different devices to read QR barcodes. **Microsoft Tag** Create and scan Microsoft Tags from this site. Users can edit tags, create categories, view reports on the usage and statistics of each tag. Similar to QR barcodes, Microsoft created their own tag. Download the reader for mobile devices from this site as well. **You Are What you Read** What five books have shaped your life? Who does your textual lineage connect you to? You Are What You Read brings readers together connecting Bookprints from around the world. Share your books, connect with other readers, build relationships through what you read. With this site you are what you read. **Edmodo**Edmodo is a secure social learning network for teachers and students. Edmodo gives libraries and classrooms a safe and easy place online to connect and collaborate, offering a location to share ideas and content, as well as access homework, grades and school notices. This web site supports the use of cell phones in the classroom by providing a controlled, secure environment for users. Students join teacher-created “cells” where phone numbers are kept private. Teachers can moderate all comments to make sure they are on-topic and appropriate for the group. Tip: After students text comments about a reading assignment, teachers can review the comments and display them using a projection device at the beginning of class the next day to stimulate discussion. Wiggio promotes itself as “a free, online toolkit that makes it easy to work in groups.” Host virtual meetings and conference calls, make to do lists, send messages, poll groups, manage events and more. Wiggio has something for everyone when it comes to collaboration. Tip: Use features such as polling or to-do lists with group members in your state or national committees. //C//ollaborize Classroom is an online education platform allowing students and teachers to participate in a collaborative learning environment. It is designed to extend classroom instruction by engaging students in online activities, assignments, and discussion.Tip: Search the Library by subject or grade level to download peer-reviewed topic-based lessons shared by teachers from all around the world. **Creative Commons** Teach students and colleagues to collaborate as integral partners in the digital evolution as they discover and share content to use, re-purpose and remix with Creative Commons. Here you will find all the resources needed to learn appropriate use of Creative Commons licensing for written, graphic and multimedia content. =**Curriculum Sharing**= **Yolink Education** Bring research into the 21st Century with Yolink Education by efficiently mining websites for information and enhancing the search experiences; cite resources seamlessly with Easybib; take notes and share with Google Docs. **Khan Academy** This popular fast growing math library provides thousands of videos with alternative, engaging instruction in math, finance, and history. Constantly expanding and improving, this is a rich resource for instruction and learning. **Geocube** Geocube calls itself the world of Geography at your fingertips. Geocube is based on the principle of the Rubiks Cube with six faces and 54 topics. Move the Geocube around with your mouse and explore the faces and topics. Learning about Geography has rarely been more fun. How to Smile is an online community of educators that have vetted over 3,000 engaging hands-on, interactive STEM activities. With both desktop and mobile capabilities, How to Smile is full of activities that are both physical and virtual that are sure to get students involved. Tip: Use How to Smile's search by chemical directory to find activities for any type of experiment. Use Study Blue to study millions of flash cards and online quizzes or if you cant find what you are looking for, create your own. Available in mobile formats as well. Study Blue is It is time to engage your senses in outer space. Join the NASA Kids Club and take off into a universe of STEM activities that engage and inspire teaching and learning. Join the Discovery Crew with Buzz Lightyear, visit NASA with Elmo, explore outer space with Nebula, and follow those Angry Birds into another universe. NASA Kids Club guarantees an out-of-this-world experience. Tip: Use with a digital projector and full classes can get involved. a powerful tool. Tip: Use Study Blue to practice language skills when learning new words. Create personal or group notebooks online using text, graphics, and calendars with content that can easily be uploaded to blogs. Choose notebooks for personal or group use that may be used to easily access content, bookmarks, and links with 2GB of free storages space. Tip: Collaborate with students and teachers as you develop a notebook of digital resources with annotated links or post your library calendar to facilitate scheduling. **Exploratree** Create "thinking guides" using Exploratree's endless options. You can fill in the guides online or print them out for student use--both options offer the option to save your work for future use. Thinking guides are divided into five broad categories for use by educators and students: map your ideas, solve problems, explore, analyse (they're British!), and different perspectives. **National Science Digital Library** The National Science Digital Library includes a variety of educational resources to further STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. Browse the science literacy maps, short science refreshers, free multimedia downloads, or subject area collections to find just what you need to enhance student learning!
 * Projeqt**
 * Gamestar Mechanic**
 * Vialogues**
 * Popplet**
 * Jux**
 * Scratch** Targeted to 8- to 16-year olds, Scratch allows students to create and share projects, presentations, stories and best of all – videos games! The emphasis is on multi-media and includes graphics, sound, music, and photos. Supported by National Science Foundation research, Scratch encourages creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.
 * Comic Master**
 * My Storymaker**
 * Inanimate Alice**
 * Quicklyst**
 * Spidercribe**
 * Stixy**
 * Remember the Milk**
 * Weblist** Weblist is a great way to gather and organize content based on a theme with the added feature of one URL. Your weblist can then be shared through social media networks or posted on a blog or Website. No time to make your own list, then search their playlist for subjects from music to science and everything in between.
 * Celly**
 * Wiggio**
 * Collaborize Classroom**
 * Learn Central** Connect with Steve Hargadon and an ever-growing number of educators on Learn Central, the social network for professional development that is ready when you are. Join free webinars and discussions in real time or participate with members asynchronously. Host a group of up to three participants for free. Develop networks with colleagues across town or around the world. Lifelong learning is just a few clicks away!
 * TED** TED is a remarkable Website sharing ideas from the world's most innovative thinkers and experts related to technology, entertainment, design, business, science, and global issues. Watch, listen to, learn, discuss and spread TED.
 * How to Smile**
 * StudyBlue**
 * NASA Kids Club**
 * Springnote** (**Note:** Site closed as of September 27, 2012)
 * The Jason Project** Are you looking for a way to connect your students with great explorers and great events in Science? You do not have to look any further than The Jason Project! Their free online curriculum is designed primarily for the middle grades but can be adapted to fit any grade level.

=**Content Resources: Lesson Plans and More**= **Lingt Language** Get your students speaking, in another language. Lingt Language allows students to practice their foreign language skills online by allowing teachers to build assignments online that use voice, video, images, and text with the Lingt online editor. Students can then interact with the assignments and respond. **Digital Vaults** Photos, documents, and popular media from the National Archives provide resources and interactive opportunities for users to access materials on endless U.S. historical topics and themes. The user can then organize the resources in any number of ways to relate to our country's history and tell a story. **cK-12 FlexBooks** CK-12 Flexbooks is an organization with the plan to reduce the cost of textbooks for the K-12 market in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model CK-12 plans to lead the way in the distribution of high quality educational content through online textbooks. **Exploratorium** Dive into a unique exploration of science, art, and human perception in the Exploratorium. Watch, view, experience, learn and play using hundreds of web pages and activities. Take a gross-out walk, dissect a cow's eye, make your own petroglyph...the choices are endless.

StudyLadder, geared for elementary and junior high/middle grades, lends itself to being an interesting, ready to use stock of activities to reinforce many content standards from a wide range of curricula. Many of the activities offer a game-like feeling, while building conceptual understanding. The site is also supportive of the flipped classroom concept, and a variety of different user account options are available, including parent accounts. Tip: Set up a station with a white board at a parent open house that showcases this site as something parents can use at home, too. Imagine creating one large photo album for the entire human population. Historypin brings together stories, photographs and links memories from around the world. Clean out your attic of those dusty photos and pin them on a worldwide map, explore pictures posted by others, create collections, discuss history, and capture and share the world's moments. Tip: Introduce History Pin to your social studies and history teachers and collaborate to have students map out the story and histories of their family. Learn It in 5 is for professionals, students, and parents who want to increase their Web 2.0 skills. A series of videos, all 5 minutes or less, guide users through lessons of their choice. Users can search for specific topics or browse to discover new techniques. Tip: Include videos in your weekly newsletter. ARKive gathers together films, photographs, and audio recordings of the world’s species to establish a comprehensive multimedia digital collection of profiles of species either rare or threatened with extinction. Tip: Incorporate these materials into lesson plans, presentations, work sheets, projects in hard copy or digitally to engage students in key science and biology topics, or use as creative inspiration for art and design projects. Educators can “find and create learning activities with primary source documents that promote historical thinking skills.” Use the more than 3000 original documents from the National Archives to create rich, online learning experiences for students.Tip: Use the interactive learning activity tools to help students “think like historians.” Over 1,000 online video testimonies of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses are housed in this website maintained by the University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute, established in 1994 by Steven Spielberg. Students can be involved with the videos, teachers will enjoy the educational materials. Tip: Link videos for social studies and language arts classes. **Edsitement** Check out this site for great educational material -suggested Websites and lesson plans - in literature/language arts, art/culture, social studies/history and foreign language. **The National Archives' Digital Classroom** The National Archives’ Digital Classroom offers a multitude of resources for the use of primary sources in the classroom. With access to copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teachers can develop their own activities and lesson plans that make historical periods come alive for their students or choose from dozens of resources that have already been developed and are featured here. =**Content Collaboration**= **Dipity** Dipity lets students and teachers create free interactive timelines. Dipity's mission is to organize the internet's data by date and time. Users can create their timelines and link video, images, audio, social media, and more. Creating timelines has never been more engaging or fun. **Edistorm** Edistorm takes away the idea of sticky notes on a wall and makes it virtual. Brainstorm, think out ideas alone or with friends; plan out anything you like with Edistorm. Use virtual sticky notes in Edistorm to come up with a multitude of ideas all on one site. **iEARN** Be a part of the network and join the global community! Through International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) and an Internet connection, students and teachers from over 130 countries can transcend linguistic, national, political, religious, and social borders to collaborate on meaningful educational projects in hopes of making a difference in the health and welfare of people and our planet.
 * Study Ladder**
 * Historypin**
 * Learn it in 5**
 * ARKive**
 * DocsTeach**
 * IWitness**