This is a podcast I created in class about pet adoption. This is my first podcast ever! It was kind of tricky, but I can definitely see myself using the tool again. Let me know what you think :)
Click the picture of Tobi to download the podcast. :)
Hey guys! We were asked to review 10 websites that we think we'll use in the classroom as resources for our students or as teachers. I came up with quite a diverse list, but I still think there's so many other websites to cover. So for now, I'll be posting my list with the reviews in a post. By next week, I'll also have a new page entitled "teaching and tech resources" with a list and brief description of some websites I find useful. I'll make another post later this week that I find to be educational and inspiring for my own independent learning. Be sure to look out for it!
One word is a great site for those looking to warm up the right side of their brains. The premise is simple: one word will be presented on the screen and you will have 60 seconds to free write. I really like this website as it provides quick and easy free writing prompts. The brain is a muscle just like the biceps or quads, and it’s important for us to exercise it. One word provides a great quick and easy exercise for students with quick results. Just try it yourself; you’ll be surprised how much your writing improves by doing this once every day.
The Oxford English Dictionary is a mainstay in my bookmarks toolbar in Google Chrome. It even has it’s own widget on my phone. While dictionary.com and Merriam Webster are easy to access resources, no dictionary gives the wealth of information that the OED does. The OED provides a long history of word etymology and history allowing students to explore the origins and evolutions of a word’s meaning. Part of being critical readers is understanding context. Students should be able to see how different historical time periods and locations influence the context of words. There is no better tool than the Oxford English Dictionary to do just that.
I think I fell in love with this site the moment I saw that it linked to Doctor Who lesson plans provided by the BBC. (“Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!” as the Brit’s would say.) But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Webenglishteacher.com provides a wide range of resources from activities to lesson plans and inspiration for the English Language Arts classroom. The site has a clean design and easy to navigate interface making it very appealing to me as a teacher. I also like that the website stays up to day with newer young adult literature. I like the idea of pairing the classics with newer novels that kids are already excited about. The idea of being able to show them how books they see; as “leisure” reads are actually educational too is one of my favorite things to do. Thankfully, webenglishteacher.com provides me with plenty of resources to be able to do such a thing.
It’s sparknotes but so much more. Here’s what makes me want to use Shmoop as a resource instead of shunning it a la sparknotes. Shmoop doesn’t give everything away- in fact it gives just enough to hook the student in with a short summary. What’s even better? Shmoop actually tells the students why each book is important, essentially cutting out the hassle of motivating students to actively engage in the reading. Shmoop also provides resources for SAT prep, and social articles to engage students with content in new and exciting ways. Shmoop puts a twist and humor on each of its entries, for example there’s even an article on “the hipsters of the Civil War era.” Another element of the site that I love is that it provides motivation for students via a market system. Students earn shmoints for everything they do on the site. What the points can be used for is still being worked out, but the skeletal work is there. Shmoop also offers teacher resources, but at a fee ($142.95 per year, or you can buy different “books” a la carte.) This is a major downfall for me, but I still highly recommend Shmoop as a great student resource.
Bookseer is a great little tool to encourage reading. Students simply enter in the name and author of a book they last read (and enjoyed) and Bookseer will generate a list of suggestions for what to read next. This is a tool I often use in my leisure time when I’m looking for good reads. It’s fun and easy to use, making it ideal for students. I would use this website via a course resources page on a blog or wikispace. Therefore, this website would not be used directly in the classroom, but rather as a tool for students to access for their independent reading ventures. I’ve always been a big advocate of showing kids that reading can be fun, what better way to do so than Bookseer to show them the choices for their next book?
Google is more than a search engine; it’s a complex calculator, a dictionary and more. Many people don’t realize the vast abilities of Google. For example did you know you can get dictionary definitions by typing “define: x” in the search engine? Complete conversions by simply typing “convert x from cm to in” The possibilities are endless. However, not everyone knows these little tricks, and even those who do often forget. Eternalcode.com compiled a list of 100 Google tricks that will save you time in school. I would suggest other teachers become proficient in some of these tips and tricks. Students are naturally one step ahead of us as educators and it’s important to know what’s out there.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “you’re an English teacher, why is a tech blog on your websites list?” Well, as I mentioned earlier in the website about Google tips and tricks article, students are always going to be one step ahead of us in technology. However, that doesn’t mean we, as educators should give up, in fact I think it’s essential that we try to keep up. That’s why I follow blogs like Gizmodo (and Lifehacker similarly). Gizmodo is an all over tech blog that keeps you up to date on the news and events of the tech world. A lot of the articles can be rather superfluous, but the good postings make it well worth the visit. For example, Gizmodo keeps a constantly updated article on maintaining your Facebook privacy settings. The blog also provides articles on new and upcoming technology allowing you to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to your students’ tech skills.
The New York Times provides a great blog aimed at students. This blog provides news with an educational view, oftentimes asking students to answer questions at the end to help foster critical reading skills and understanding. What I love about this is that these posts provide great openers for lessons. Some teachers go through “SAT questions of the day” but I really like the idea of having a short activity relating to the current events of that day or week. For example there’s a great lesson covering the passing of gay marriage in New York, as well as another lesson that encourages teachers to bring film festival films into the classroom. I also enjoy that this blog can be read independently by students- especially those who are at a higher level and may not need as much assistance but still seek enrichment.
Ipl.org is a great website hosted by the iSchool at Drexel University. Oftentimes students are overwhelmed with the idea of Internet research, and finding credible sources can be daunting. Ipl.org is a scholarly search engine aimed at students. It is easily accessible and also acts to assure students that they are finding good sources and information. The first place many students go when doing research is Google, and without proper manipulation (see Google tips and tricks) Google will generally lead you straight to Wikipedia. Wikipedia can be a great launch board, but ultimately without verification it is an inadequate source. Sure some of the articles are well cited and you can use those citations, but wouldn’t you rather a search engine that skips that step entirely. In an age where teaching good digital citizenship is of utmost priority, ipl.org is a great tool for students when conducting research online.
Microsoft provides great training tools for all of its software. It’s essential that students are familiar, and eventually proficient in Microsoft Office, especially word, excel, and PowerPoint. However, some students may not be at the same level as others. These tutorials and lessons allow students to follow through various tasks in each of the office programs. This is a great resource, especially if students forget how to do various tasks within the programs. It also puts less responsibility on the teacher to teach them these skills. While I know I’ll be teaching my students Word to some degree, I certainly can’t spend time going over excel and pivot tables. However, I do recognize the importance of this software and believe that students should have the resources to engage in independent learning with them. While Googledocs is becoming more and more prominent in schools, many of the interfaces between Microsoft Office and Google’s software are strikingly similar making the transition smooth and easy for students.
