Creating a classroom environment where collaboration can thrive doesn’t tend to be a high priority in our education system in the United States. That’s not surprising given that we emphasize the importance of students finding answers and problem solving individually. But recent studies are beginning to show that collaboration actually enhances learning. Students who are allowed to use technology and work together to solve problems learn quickly and retain the information long term. (more…)
October 17, 2011
The Value of Collaborative Learning
August 22, 2011
Site of the Week
http://www.buzzmath.com/
BuzzMath is an interactive math workbook that has more than 2700 online math problems with instant feedback and step-by-step solutions. Teachers can use it to generate assignments, demonstrate problems on the SMART Board, produce random math problems, and generate achievement reports to determine areas of need. Parents can use it to provide additional math practice to increase understanding in problem areas. Students can use it to solve math puzzles and enigmas, play games, and additional study and practice. BuzzMath is free to use but also has a subscription-based program with enhanced features. As of September 1, 2011, one teacher at every school will be eligible for a free subscription to BuzzMath!
August 15, 2011
LearnBoost
https://www.learnboost.com/
LearnBoost is a completely free online software that was designed to manage all classroom administrative tasks in one place. Teachers can use LearnBoost to manage gradebooks, assignment calendars, to-do lists, track attendance, and communicate with parents. The reporting tools use data from your gradebook to automatically update graphs and visuals to easily track and assess student progress. The Lesson Plan tab allows you to create multimedia lesson plans that can be associated to common core-standards with one click. Teachers can also choose to allow limited access to parents and students so they can log on to view grades, attendance, assignment calendars, and classroom policies. The integrated seating chart with access to your class roster makes it easy to find the perfect seating arrangement for your class. Designed to work seamlessly with Google Apps, you can connect to your Google Calendar, and even add LearnBoost to your Google Apps Marketplace to automatically put your gradebook into your Google universal navigation bar. Take a tour of LearnBoost for complete details then sign up for a free account today!
July 4, 2011
Illuminations
http://illuminations.nctm.org/
Math will come alive in your classroom using the interactive resources available at Illuminations. There are more than 600 lessons searchable by grade level, topic, and standard. There are more than 100 interactive online activities such as data graphers, dynamic paper (create 3-D images), a fractal tool, a tessellation creator, and algebra tiles that you can use with a smartboard to illustrate complex math concepts in the classroom. Illuminations was created by the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.
July 1, 2011
iPad Possibilities in the Classroom
Written by Melanie Bacon
It is summertime, the opportunity to take a break, reflect on the past year, dream about what could be done in the classroom, and explore new resources to weave into the curriculum next year. One of the latest and greatest tools for the classroom is the iPad 2, a mobile solution to provide students the capacity to engage activities at every level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, even hitting the highest level of creation. (more…)
June 25, 2011
http://www.brightstorm.com/
Brightstorm provides high-quality study resources for high school students. There are over 2500 free math and science videos of teachers teaching every topic in Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Precalculus, Calculus, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The paid parts of the Web site include additional study and homework help tools to help student prepare for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP.
June 20, 2011
Physics for Kids
http://www.physics4kids.com/
This site explains basic physics concepts in a fun and interactive way. Concepts such as motion, heat and thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, light, and modern physics are clearly explained and illustrated. Students can then test their knowledge of each topic with a 10 question quiz. Physics for kids is part of a network of high-quality educational Web sites including Chem4Kids, Geography4Kids, Biology4Kids, Cosmos4Kids, and NumberNut.com.
June 13, 2011
THE JASON PROJECT
http://www.jason.org/public/whatis/start.aspx
Science comes to life as students and teachers have access to real world science experiences, online curriculum, animations, online games, virtual classrooms, discussion boards, and more. The Jason Mission Control Center was designed for students to explore powerful storms, study sea life, work with real scientific research to complete digital labs, design roller coasters, compete in online science fairs, and interact with real scientists. The Immersion program includes videos of ocean life around the world, photos, and interviews with explorers. Students can create their own Titanic movie using real footage, map shipwrecks using real photos from shipwrecks, learn about dolphin behavior, diagnose rescued seals, and more. Jason also offers core curricula that is completely free to use, standards aligned, and centers around four main areas: weather, ecology, energy, and geology.
June 6, 2011
http://writingfix.com/index.htm
Writing Fix has hundreds of high-quality writing lessons created by Nevada Educators. You will read thousands of student writing samples submitted by teachers, a Journal Prompt Generator with 570 topics, Picture Book Lessons Grades 3-12 created using a $25,000 grant, writing prompts for right and left brain, narrative, persuasive, notebook, lyrics, and chapter book inspired writing lessons and teaching tips. This site is well organized and a valuable resource for all teachers grades K-12. Writing Fix was originally created as a resource for Nevada Educators completing their inservice training and has expanded to be used by thousands of educators all over the world.
May 2, 2011
MathGameTime is your resource on the Web for math homework help. If your PreK-7 student is struggling with a certain math concept, you will find interactive online games, math worksheets, and video tutorials to explain math concepts in a fun and interactive way. Research has shown that students become highly motivated to learn and improve in a game environment and online educational games have been known to improve math scores. MathGameTime has scoured the Web for the best resources available to help students excel in Math. High quality online games, videos and practice worksheets are available for a wide variety of topics such as: addition, subtraction, geometry, fractions, algebra, probability, time and money, and problem solving. ALTEC’s own Arcademic Skillbuilders has several online games featured on this Web site so be sure to recommend it to your students today!
