February 8th, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
The Edheads.org feature that I like most are the interactive activities.
The interactive activities are really well designed and very functional. They are practical and require students to problem solve much like an engineer or doctor would. An activity students would enjoy is called Design a Cell Phone. They have to design a cell phone with the target audience being senior citizens.
Warning: The Deep Brain Stimulation may be too graphic for some students. But I liked it.
This resource was submitted to us via our TIC Recommends page, which is a listing of all the technology reviews we have done.
February 7th, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
Continue reading ‘Weekly Gathering’
February 5th, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
What does it mean to have the students’ best interests in mind?
Having the students’ best interest in mind was the advice I got from teachers I admired when I was going into my student teaching. It sounded like simple enough advice and I tried to employ it right away, but found it more complex than I thought. What’s best for them? How can I teach so that they’ll be engaged?
With a lot of trial and error I came to realize that having the students’ best interest in mind is similar to student-centered teaching. This means adapting my teaching style to their learning style. Shifting the focus from me to them. The class is not centered around what I want to do. It’s getting through the curriculum and adhering to the standards and giving the students a voice in what they want to learn. Having their best interest in mind means adjusting what I think is best for them to what is actually best for them.
For example, I might think that they need to answer 20 questions in the textbook every night and during every class period. It gets them through the material. The questions are standards-ready. It’s easy for me. They’ll learn the material and ace the quizzes and tests. They’ll be complaisant and obeisant. They learn what is already known. Nothing wrong with that. Is that actually what is best for them?
Continue reading ‘Students’ Best Interest’
February 4th, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
At the Parade of Games web site there are several PowerPoint template games free of charge for non-profit educational users. Sixteen games in all are available, among them: Jeopardy, What Am I?, and Flash Cards. All you have to do is select and download the pre-made template. Check out their “about this site” page for more information.
Continue reading ‘Free PowerPoint Games Templates’
February 3rd, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
Why I didn’t hear of this site before I have no idea. The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a great site for mainly math but many of the manipulatives are just good thinking/problem solving for all classes.
They have activities for Pre-K to 12. Subjects include number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis/probability.
Continue reading ‘National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (great site, whiteboard friendly)’
February 2nd, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
Looking to spice up your Math class? Want to integrate an interactive whiteboard? Try multiplication.com. There are a variety of games, teaching tools, and resources that you can try for your classroom to stimulate learning.
A game that comes highly recommended is Granny Prix and Fish Shop.
This resource was submitted to us via our submission form on the TIC Recommends page. Muliplicaton.com will also be listed as a resource website on the TIC Recommends page.
February 1st, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
If you haven’t used Wordle yet, you’re in for some fun. This is a tool that you can use with almost any subject. Language Arts is a natural fit for this tool. You type in words and it generates a word cloud that you can format to your preference.
I typed in a poem that I read recently to see what would happen. Wordle turned the poem into a new sort of poem arranging the words in an intriguing order. It reminds me of magnet poetry.
One could use Wordle as a poetry generator. Throw in some random words and see what comes out.
Here is a slideshare presentation that provides a thorough explanation of Wordle:
Continue reading ‘Fun With Wordle’
January 31st, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
The TIC Recommends page that you may have previously seen on this blog is no longer active. It has been moved here, to our main site.
What is the TIC Recommends page? Each time we review a technology tool, resource, or website we add it to the TIC Recommends page. Consider it a database of technology integration resources for teachers.
Also, at the bottom of the page there is a submission form should you have a technology tool you would like us to review or post about so our community of teachers can use it too.
January 31st, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
January 30th, 2010 by tic@technologyinclass.com
Flags have meaning that symbolizes a people as well as an individual. At wearemulticolored.com students can create their own flag and use colors and symbols from national flags around the world.
Take a look at the site. It’s a great activity to incorporate into any classroom, especially a social science one. Before students create their own flags be sure to have them learn about flag symbolism and how it is significant.
Continue reading ‘Create A Flag Online’
