Super+Cool+Websites

= A + Super Cool Websites for Teachers = The first page of the wiki has too many excellent educational sites to mention. It's a little cluttered and difficult to navigate, but this site is worth the effort. Check out the science, poetry, writing, literature, social studies, and math recommendations. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-07_at_4.22.19_PM.png width="214" height="124"]] || http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/ || This wiki won the Merlot Award for Exemplary Online Learning 2011. This site contains an extremely comprehensive list of tools (and applications) that can be used to integrate in the classroom. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-07_at_4.42.09_PM.png width="215" height="129"]] || http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ || This wiki won the Edublog Award for best educational wiki of 2011.
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-08_at_11.41.00_AM.png width="214" height="131"]] || http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/ || This is the Palm Beach County wiki on their iPad initiative. They also were a finalist in the Edublog Educational Wiki Contest. It is interesting to read some of their posts to see what's happening in our public schools. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-21_at_2.21.58_PM.png width="240" height="103"]] || [] || This is a website full of videos, lesson plans, PowerPoints, etc. on topics from Ancient Greece to the Industrial Revolution. If you ever need a quick lesson to refresh background knowledge or to build background for a novel this is a nice resource to have. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-02-21_at_3.43.13_PM.png width="256" height="117"]] || [] || The creators of this website are attempting to create the most comprehensive "How To" website of all. It is full of videos and resources. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-06_at_8.58.39_AM.png width="243" height="119"]] || [] || The website is full of classroom projects. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-06_at_8.59.23_AM.png width="246" height="116"]] || [] || The concept of a 'flat classroom' is based on the constructivist principle of a multi-modal learning environment that is student-centered and a level playing field for teacher to student and student to teacher interaction. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-06_at_8.59.37_AM.png width="239" height="112"]] || [] || Kidblog.org is designed for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each student with an individual blog. This is a motivating way to get kids writing/journaling. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-06_at_8.59.45_AM.png width="239" height="112"]] || [] || This is a "safer" version of youtube. ||
 * =[[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-19_at_1.36.17_PM.png width="237" height="122"]]= || [] || This is the website that Jen recommended for "exit slips" during our PD on 3/19/12. It is full of lesson plans, activities, and resources. Thank you Jen. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.23.56_PM.png width="195" height="99"]] || [] || Want to make exemplary rubrics in a short amount of time? Registered users can save and edit rubrics online. You can make your own rubric, edit a saved rubric, or use a rubric that has already been completed and saved. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.26.23_PM.png width="231" height="116"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

SlideShare features a vibrant professional and educational community that regularly comments, favorites and downloads content. Individuals & organizations upload documents to SlideShare to share ideas, conduct research, connect with others, and generate leads for their businesses. Anyone can view presentations & documents on topics that interest them, download them and reuse or remix for their own work. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.29.13_PM.png width="211" height="107"]] || [|http://www.thinkfinity.or] || From 2012 Tech Conference

Thinkfinity offers comprehensive teaching and learning resources.This is a website full of already made, detailed lesson plans on several topics. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.29.48_PM.png width="223" height="126"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

Exploratorium creates tools and experiences that help you to become an active explorer: hundreds of explore-for-yourself exhibits; a Web site with over 25,000 pages of content; film screenings; workshops for lifelong learners including day camps for kids and family investigations; evening art and science events for adults—plus much more. Exploratorium also creates professional development programs for educators. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.36.18_PM.png width="234" height="114"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

Quizlet is the **largest flash cards and study games website** with over 10 million free sets of flashcards covering every possible subject. It's the best place to play educational games, memorize vocabulary and study online. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.37.44_PM.png width="244" height="124"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

This is like the Show Me app, but you can take snapshots of your notes, screen, board, or you teaching to post for kids to see while doing homework.

Give your students the information they need, when they need it. Use Jing to record your feedback as you grade papers, or take a snapshot to share with your class. Your students can even use it to collaborate, or ask questions! ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-27_at_2.38.42_PM.png width="234" height="117"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

Great for storytelling!!!

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that lets anyone easily create his or her own 3D pop-up books. Using ZooBurst, storytellers of any age can create their own rich worlds in which their stories can come to life. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-28_at_11.58.31_AM.png width="256" height="129"]] || [|www.edmodo.com] || From 2012 Tech Conference

Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications. Our goal is to help educators harness the power of social media to customize the classroom for each and every learner. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-28_at_2.35.39_PM.png width="240" height="115"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

This could be great as a station while working with a small group. It can be set to public or private. The demonstration at the tech conference showed kids verbally summarizing and giving recommendations about a book for classmates to watch. There is a free iPad app.

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too. ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-30_at_12.07.28_PM.png width="230" height="112"]] || [|http://storybird.com] || From 2012 Tech Conference


 * Art-inspired storytelling you create. These can be published online or linked to blackbaud.
 * Use pictures from artists to tell a story written by students based on the artist's images
 * Use images to represent something they have already read
 * If you purchase membership you can use your own images
 * No spell check or editing- consider having kids type story into Word then transfer over ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-03-30_at_12.13.07_PM.png width="251" height="122"]] || [] || From 2012 Tech Conference

Consider using this the next time you want kids to make a poster as a digital alternative.
 * multimedia digital poster with text, photos, videos, graphics, and sound
 * promotes collaboration
 * easy to use drag and drop
 * free account- with limits
 * purchased accounts support more users
 * kids can sign up for their own account and teachers can connect to their accounts
 * has digital poster templates or posters can be created from scratch ||
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2012-04-01_at_5.11.45_PM.png width="225" height="112"]] || [] || This requires a subscription. Maybe purchasing one can be considered. It is a safer alternative to using Google.

netTrekker Search, the leading educational search tool trusted by millions of K-12 educators and students for over ten years, brings standards-aligned, teacher-approved digital resources and a unique set of learning tools into the classroom to create an engaging 21st century learning environment. ||
 * =**Online Free Textbooks**= || @http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/ || CK12.org is a nonprofit group that creates free textbooks for teachers, by teachers. They started with high school level textbooks. However, over the course of the year this group has added a number of titles to their collection and are getting some textbooks that dip into the middle school years. Please take a moment to look & evaluate these textbooks as it is REALLY tough to beat the price of FREE!

@http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/ ||