Sites to See--November 11

Kahoot  https://getkahoot.com
A new service for delivering online quizzes and surveys to your students. On any device that has a web browser (and I’d say 90% of their phones do), your students can respond to quizzes or surveys that you create and show on your presentation station. Sure, this sounds like other tools we’ve looked at, but the big difference here is that it Kahoot sets it up as a competition with students earning points for correct answers and how quickly the enter the correct answer. There’s a lot of research that shows that a game-based approach helps cement learning.

Creating & Sharing Google Calendars http://goo.gl/sFjyv1
Google calendars are super easy to use and share. AND a great way to make a calendar available on your school webpage or allow parents and students to see what things are coming up on the horizon. This tutorial will show you how to create one, and share it online.

Resources related to JFK and the 50^th anniversary of his deathJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum http://jfklibrary.org
Several lessons are available, about things specific to JFK’s presidency, as well as some newly digitized materials. Also, this library houses the largest Hemingway archive, with a media gallery.Infotopia’s JFK Assassination Resources http://www.infotopia.info/kennedy_assassination.html

Lots of different things, including documents from the police and public records, PBS, and Jim Lehrer’s memories courtesy of the Dallas News.

MindCipher http://www.mindcipher.com/

I can probably name the teachers who would most enjoy this site. MindCipher is a social brain teaser/logic puzzle/mental challenge collection. Use these to fill a few minutes at the end of class to keep the kids thinking, even if it’s not about your subject area.

Writing Prompts http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
While this is called “Writing Prompts,” lots of them could be used to spark discussion about things that maybe aren’t all that important, but get our kids thinking in different ways.

What do you think??

National Gallery of Art-Online Tours

 

 

 

National Gallery of Art--Online Tours

I found this site the other day when one of my Facebook friends shared a link to the NGA's Children's Tour called "Time Travel" It's an online version of an audio tour you can take when you visit the NGA in person. But, realistically, how many of our students will have that opportunity while in school? It's really fascinating to look at the images in the "Time Travel" tour and learn specifically about the painting.

The other tours aren't "videos," but they do address a specific artist, piece, or theme. Really pretty neat to learn more about some of the paintings I've only seen in books or on television. Anytime I can put art in front of my students, I try. Even the ones who fight me on it. :)

 

What do you think??

Sites to See, Nov 8

Two Hands-On Economics Lessons
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/11/two-hands-on-economics-lessons-for.html
There’s Captains of Industry, which is a simulation of the business practices of American businessmen in the late 19^th century (Think Rockefeller, Carnegie, etc.). The 2^nd is Life on Minimum Wage is designed to show students how difficult it is to get ahead financially when your only job pays minimum wage and doesn’t offer benefits.

WeSeed Virtual Stock Market Game
http://www.weseed.com/
The stock market game that we’d used for years stopped being free, but WeSeed appears to have stepped up. There’s a special educators site that shows you how to set up classes for competitions and has free lesson materials

The Smithsonian’s Seriously Amazing
http://seriouslyamazing.si.edu/#masterpiece Just a fun site with some neat things. Just by clicking a trivia-style question, you can quickly find yourself lost in articles, videos, and pictures  from the Smithsonian magazine website (which is also an awesome website to explore).

Amusement Park Physics
http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/
A neat site you can easily use to explain some basic physics concepts. There are interactive games for experimenting with the way different forces interact. Kind of fun.

Spanish Language learning resources from the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/
Lots of different resources, including games, online tutorials, and a 12-week interactive video drama (with teacher guide)

Sites to See, October 25 edition

NIH Science Curriculum Supplement Series http://science.education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/highschool.htm Free Supplements, Teacher’s guides, and several have state standard correlations for the materials (biology studies)

Biology Resources from the Copernicus Project http://www.copernicusproject.ucr.edu/ssi/HSBiologyResources.htm Wow…video clips, powerpoints, a few project/lab guides. LOTS of neat stuff.

HyperHistory Online http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html Timelines, maps, and graphics for events in 300 years of world history. They aren’t “pretty” but they are functional.

Poll Everywhere http://www.polleverywhere.com/ Free text-in polls. Use this to do quick in class checks for understanding.

Critical Thinking Cheat Sheet http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1cx5y0Kug1r85eido1_500.jpg During inservice last week, we talked about how the STAAR tests require more critical thinking skills from our students than the TAKS tests ever have. Here’s an easy reference to help you as you structure discussion and lessons.

National Geographic Education http://education.nationalgeographic.com/?ar_a=1 I found this one through one of the interactive map links. Of course, it’s full of incredible images that you expect from NatGeo, but it’s also full of some pretty awesome resources—for history, politics, psychology, and sciences. I’m having too much fun exploring myself!

 

Butter, by Erin Jade Lange

A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death-live on the Internet-and everyone is invited to watch. When he first makes the announcement online to his classmates, Butter expects pity, insults, and possibly sheer indifference. What he gets are morbid cheerleaders rallying around his deadly plan. Yet as their dark encouragement grows, it begins to feel a lot like popularity. And that feels good. But what happens when Butter reaches his suicide deadline? Can he live with the fallout if he doesn't go through with his plans? 

Bullying is a topic all too familiar and important topic in schools today. It's always been there, it's just that today, in this instant access to everything world, it's easier to do it, and harder to hide from it.
Butter doesn't realize he's being bullied. He doesn't realize that his eating disorder is his coping mechanism. Yes, eating disorder--bulimia and anorexia, while getting more air-time aren't the only disorders out there.

I found myself alternately wanting to laugh and to cry with/for Butter. He hides behind a persona he designed to be attractive, he only has friends when he announces he will kill himself, publicly. Even his mother is inadvertently bullying him, because he knows she doesn't feel loved when he doesn't eat the food she puts in front of him. What a sad existence.
This is one of those important books that will hit shelves and be picked up because it sounds interesting. People will think it's unbelievable, despite being so compelling written. Really, what boy would kill himself because of his weight? 

Really?

By the way...bullying is very serious. Visit Stop Bullying for more information.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Bloomsbury Children's Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  

Really Cool PowerPoint Trick

It's been several years since someone turned PowerPoint into a great way to do fun lessons and test reviews in the classroom. At one time or another, we've ALL participated in or created Jeopardy-style PowerPoint games.  (If you haven't yet, here's a template. Try it!)

On our campus, we've adopted SMART Podiums. They're pretty neat and have lots of potential, but some of us would rather create our own resources than hunt through all the things out there from others. And, honestly, there's not a lot out there for educators tailored really well to the Podiums...or at least not that I'm finding.

But, the bigger issue is that we don't have them available on all campuses. We do have what we call "presentation stations"--large televisions (I mean, large) connected to computer towers, DVD/VCR players, and image projectors (like ELMOs). No SMARTBoards are available to the teachers.

Sooo....we do a lot of PowerPoints. We just do. We've all received training, and many even create interactive ones (on the same premise as the Jeopardy idea). Today, while tooling around looking for other things, I found this AWESOME PowerPoint Trick.

This is how you WRITE or TYPE on a slide, while actively running the slideshow. Sure, old news to some, but I think it's awesome!

HEB: Summer of Read. Write. Win

This is BIG news, and I'm really kind of sad I only just found out about it. BUT...it's awesome.

HEB, that wonderful TEXAS grocery store, has long been a supporter of literacy in schools. Here's your students' chance to win one of 11 scholarships (grand prize being $15,000.)

Read about an influential Texan and write an essay about why that person has made an impact in Texas. Easy, easy stuff!

For more information and the application, go here.

And good luck!

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Let's start with the positives. It's an interesting story line, seriously. Futuristic, semi-dystopian, cyborgs as 2nd or 3rd class citizens, a moon monarchy (not just a colony, a monarchy). I like the bit of almost romance, the intrigue, the ups, the downs, the twists. I like Cinder, Kai, and the doctor. And it was more than easy to dislike the evil queen. 

I like that Cinder is a cyborg, and that this can cause real problems down the road, because she's considered basically trash. Because she is less than fully human. All Cinderella stories tend to run that theme. 

But I had several issues with the story.

First, there is a race of people living on the moon, the Lunars. What's their backstory? How'd they wind up on the moon? How did they become a monarchy? Why are the constantly at odds with the kingdoms and nations on Earth now?

Then there's Cinder. How did she become who and what she is? There's a hint of a wreck, a weird take over of her guardianship, but she really has no memory before age 11. Where'd those years go?

After researching both Meyer's website and other reviews, I got some answers to these issues.

• First, if you travel over to Marissa Meyer's website, you'll find in the "Extras" an article about the Lunar History
• Also, I discovered there's a short prequel, that tells a little more about Cinder. You meet her as she is first coming to New Beijing with Garan, her "stepfather."

Then I had a problem with the Cinderella aspect. I just didn't feel like it mattered. Sure, there were some similarities to the traditional story, specifically the Chinese version--namely, a stepmother, an unwanted/unloved stepdaughter, a prince, and a ball.....but it didn't add anything to the story for me. Frankly, I didn't feel like all the hype I'd read in other reviews about this future-ized version of Cinderella was particularly warranted. Cinder's story just happened to have a detail or 2 in common with it, nothing more.

All that being said, I did enjoy the book. I'd love to get my hands on a copy of the ARC for the second book in the Lunar Chronicles series, Scarlet (which will be published early February, 2013), but I'm fine with waiting.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased the ebook of this title for my personal collection. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sites to See, Week of May 14

Brain Metrix: Brain Training http://www.brainmetric.com “Brain Metrix is an educational website dedicated to brain training programs; you can achieve optimum fitness by visiting your gym, and engaging in a brain fitness program that is both fun and stimulating. Here you stretch and train your brain to the limit, you can train and test your memory or test your reflexes or even your brain creativity and improve it and much more." (from the website)

50 Brain Facts Every Educator Should Know. http://www.associatesdegree.com/2010/01/27/50-brain-facts-every-educator-should-know/ Some of these are just trivia kind of things. Some are pretty interesting, and might need to be kept in mind.

Paying for College Cost Comparison Worksheet—CFPB http://www.consumerfinance.gov/payingforcollege/costcomparison Enter up to 3 universities you’re considering, and it will supply for each the sticker price for first year, average grants and scholarships, total borrowing, estimated debt after school, and comparative debt burden.

Budget Your Trip http://www.budgetyourtrip.com “Travel costs from real people.” Plan and track travel spending here, using the site’s tools. Enter a city’s name and get a wealth of information including average daily costs and user submitted tips.

Teaching Channel.org http://www.teachingchannel.org From a teacher at Southside “Their video library offers educators a wide range of subjects for grades K-12. The videos also include information on alignment with Common Core State Standards and ancillary material for teachers to use in their own classrooms.  I was able to find a decimal activity and the pages were provided so that I could quickly make the activity.  It is a good resource to check out over the summer.”

What Should I Read Next? http://whatshouldireadnext.com/ Type a title/author and come up with a list of suggested titles.

Those Kids Today http://www.besteducationdegrees.com/high-school-kids/ Interesting info-graphic about the differences between kids in 1982 and in 2012. Pretty neat. The stats toward the middle/bottom are most interesting in terms of education.

Sites to See, February Week 3

An Alignment of Planets http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/17feb_winterplanets/ From NASA’s Science News, the brightest planets in the night sky (Venus and Jupiter) are aligning in late February and March this year. Read the story, which tells you that it’ll be a great night to watch THIS Saturday when we have a crescent moon. Here’s a video with more info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8br4JiFEik.  Might be a good evening to visit the George Observatory out at Brazos Bend http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107&Itemid=115

Shorpy http://www.shorpy.com/   Photos from the past website. Vintage photo blog featuring high definition images from the 1850s to the 1950s. Just the image galleries at http://www.shorpy.com/image For more images visit Retronaut at http://www.retronaut.co/

Science at NASA http://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceAtNASA YouTube channel from NASA that I started going through after posting the first link. Yes, lots of the videos are about astronomy topics, but there are also meteorological videos and a “tour” of the electromagnetic spectrum series.

Dummies.Com http://www.dummies.com This is the companion website for the popular “For Dummies” books. Lots of good articles, but also some good videos. I watched a very informative one about using FOIL to distribute two binomials. J

The Geography Site http://www.geography-site.co.uk/ UK-based web site. LOTS of different resources, blogs, photographs, and topics currently in the news.

Sites to See, 1st week of February

Life after College Roadmap—Mint Life Blog http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/life-after-college-roadmap-012012/ Really, this is good information for anyone striking out after high school or college. Practical information to help keep them from falling flat.

GOOD-Infographics http://www.good.is/infographics Well done graphics covering a variety of topics, like “do college freshman feel academically prepared for classes?” and “Who’s Not Washing Their Hands?”

Minute Physics http://www.youtube.com/user/minutephysics Brief videos with hand-drawn cartoons explaining science concepts…what’s not to love? This could be great focus activities. OR…you could challenge your students to make their own videos (we can do that, you know.) Right next to it I found, Vi Hart-Mathemusician. http://www.youtube.com/user/Vihart More doodling and crazy-fast talking, but kind of interesting. I watched a video about Fibonacci numbers in nature.

The Art Career Project http://www.theartcareerproject.com/ Art degrees don’t just lead to teaching or living paycheck to paycheck. Read about careers on this site, including training and skills, salary ranges, and what the work itself is like.

Treasures of the Bodleian http://treasures.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/discover-treasures Oxford’s Library has digitized some of its amazing treasures. You can find images of telegrams from the Titanic, a handwritten draft Frankenstein, and Shakespeare’s First Folio.

Conflict History http://www.conflicthistory.com/#/period/1793-1796 A timeline and GoogleMap of conflicts from almost 4000 BCE to today. I thought it was a good visual way to relate what was going on world-wide at different times.

Build-a-Body http://www.spongelab.com/slxdev/interactives/buildabody/en/whole/index.html Students can construct a human body, system-by-system. Drag and drop organs and bones, and read the description of their purposes. Use it to quiz students on placement after a unit. :)

YA Book Challenge

Something to consider...

This probably isn't fair of me. I mean, I am a librarian at a high school, so I'm literally surrounded by YA Books. But, if nothing else, I'll enjoy keeping up with just how much I really do read. It'll be fun.

For more info checkout the challenge post at The Eclectic Bookshelf.

Groundbreaking YA Books into Movies.

No guys...it's not just Breaking Dawn and The Hunger Games that have made it to the big screen. Several other books have, as well. Check it out!

Top 15 Favorite YA-Books-Turned-Movies

Sites to See, Nov. 8

The Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu
As museum websites go—This. Is. The. BEST. I  spent hours at home this weekend playing with the different online exhibits available. Billed as the “museum of science, art and human perception,” it is just amazing. Whether you’re an educator (awesome demos for a class), just curious, or a Sheldon Cooper-esque Geek, you’ll love this site.

Could you pass a US Citizenship Test?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0104/Could-you-pass-a-US-citizenship-test/Who-signs-bills
With it being election day, this is always an interesting one to share. You have to get 58 of the 96 questions correct. WARNING: This site is SLOW…it’s the design. Just bear with it.

Royal Society Publishing Archive
http://royalsocietypublishing.org/search
Beginning in 1665, this is the world’s oldest scientific publisher. Recently, they opened the archive of 60,000+ historical scientific papers published more than 70 years ago. You’ll discover research findings of Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Franklin, to name a few.

The Beloit College Mindset List
http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/
While written to describe this year’s college freshman, I think it’s also telling about the students we are graduating this year. Can you imagine….Ferris Bueller could be their father?

This is really pretty neat. Check it out!

Sites to See---Website Round-up

WallWisher
http://www.wallwisher.com
Interactive bulletin board hosted online. Use this for an interactive word wall or to review before a test. Students could respond via sticky note to a question posted for discussion, or you could use this to frame a lesson. To view a WallWisher in action visit mine http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/oct511

105 Classroom Uses for WallWisher
http://seanbanville.com/2010/06/26/wallwisher-105-classroom-ideas/
Jump start your thinking about the possibilities.


Teenage Brain
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text/1
National Geographic October 2011 article about the ins and outs of the teenage brain…and just why they do what they do


Budding Scientist

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/30148632?access_key=key-qibej5dj1812q1u51yl
A new blog from Scientific American aimed at interesting science for curious children—and their teachers and parents!


Food in Every Country
http://www.foodbycountry.com/
Includes recipes and a cultural history of foods in different countries and groups. The food alone is interesting, but all the other information makes it a valuable tool.


Eyewitness to History
http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/
Primary Source type articles from the ancient world through World War II.


Documentary Heaven
http://documentaryheaven.com/
More than 1600 documentary films from across the Internet. Find something on just about every topic you could think of.

Amazing Things

One of my favorite former debate students--actually, he's part of the reason I coached debate. He's doing amazing things with his life and in a path I don't think he expected to be on when he graduated from Angleton. I absolutely could not be any prouder of him.

We The Readers is starting in DC, but I see this being bigger than even Austin can dream one day.

Exploring

Today, I'm exploring. I'm supposed to be pulling together some resources for an impromptu science project, and that's happening, I'm just scattered today.

I've stopped in at CNN Student News. I know my economics teacher uses this as a warm-up every day. It's just a 10-minute covering of headlines in the day's news. The video clips used are all from CNN. There's a daily discussion guide and a newsquiz for each episode. There's also some extra resources (like PDF maps for yesterday's shows) . I think it's just good info, and I appreciate that there's an archive.

Imaginary Jesus, by Matt Mikalatos

Belief in the truth commences with the doubting of all those 'truths' we once believed.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Cover art stolen from Matt's blog,
The Burning Hearts Revolution

I have to admit, when I first saw this title, I was wary. "Imaginary" Jesus? Seriously. As a Christian, I enjoy reading Christian books--not the "all is sunshine and roses" type that wraps up neatly at the end (like Christian romance always seems to), but the ones that make you think. I figured Imaginary Jesus would make me think, but I also kind of figured it would be borderline sacrilegious at the very least. And while I don't mind reading sacrilegious material now and again (if I'm going to prove a point to you, I need to know what your knowledge base is, you know?), I certainly don't like to go too far into that extreme.

Wow...was I wrong. The VERY first 3 pages had me hooked, and had already made me think. I have to tell you, this doesn't happen very often. I mean, Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller) is the last one that REALLY got me to thinking from the very start, and that was several years ago. I read it straight through Saturday, then ruminated a bit before re-reading it yesterday/this morning. It's kept with me all morning, to the point that I've now tweeted it at least twice (and am now friends with Matt on Twitter), am blogging it (and following Matt's blog now), and have sent several Facebook messages to friends that I have NO doubt will enjoy it--and because I need the conversation that it will cause.

watch on tyndale.com

Oh...and I wish I lived in Portland so I could be friends with Matt and his family. And maybe run into Daisy the Donkey. *grin*

Synopsis from the publisher's site
Imaginary Jesus is an hilarious, fast-paced, not-quite-fictional story that’s unlike anything you’ve ever read before. When Matt Mikalatos realizes that his longtime buddy in the robe and sandals isn’t the real Jesus at all, but an imaginary one, he embarks on a mission to find the real thing. On his wild ride through time, space, and Portland, Oregon, he encounters hundreds of other Imaginary Jesuses determined to stand in his way (like Legalistic Jesus, Perpetually Angry Jesus, and Magic 8 Ball Jesus). But Matt won’t stop until he finds the real Jesus—and finally gets an answer to the question that’s haunted him for years. Be warned: Imaginary Jesus may bring you face-to-face with an imposter in your own life.

Breaking news from Matt's blog....

The Burning Hearts Revolution: Get Imaginary Jesus FREE FOR YOUR E-READER: "For a limited time you can get the e-book version of Imaginary Jesus ABSOLUTELY FREE in Kindle format, for the Nook, or for your Sony e..."

Mikalatos, Matt. Imaginary Jesus. Tyndale House Publishers, April 2010.

I downloaded this book to my ereader of my own free will. I am receiving no compensation or  for this review.

Sites to See update

Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.~~Samuel Johnson


Online YouTube Converter
http://convertyoutube.com/default.aspx
There is some REALLY good stuff on YouTube, that hasn’t made it to TeacherTube yet. But since it’s blocked, the only way we can use a YouTube video is if we convert the videos to a different file type. This online, FREE (though you do have to register) converter will do that for you.

100 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers
http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2010/10/20/100-incredibly-useful-youtube-channels-for-teachers/
Now it should be clear why I led with the Converter tool this time. In the list you’ll find channels from universities, nonprofits, museums, and plenty of other places. It’s a fount of amazing ways to add some media to your classroom lessons.


Nikon’s Small World Photomicrography Competition
http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/
The online gallery for a competition that challenges photographers using a light microscope. The images are beautiful, and can often highlight lessons in biology, chemistry, and art.

100 Helpful Photography Tutorials for Beginners and Professionals
http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/round-ups/100-helpful-photography-tutorials-for-beginners-and-professionals/
With the Digital Camera Learning Community offered by the Technology Department starting next week, and the already amazing photographs coming out of Kim Caskey’s class this year, I thought this one might be interesting to many of you.

Database Profile
Student Research Center, powered by EBSCOhost
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,cookie,uid&profile=SRC
Username & password: See Turney for this info.
This one of our “free” databases provided to all K-12 schools by the State. Like all good “free” things, if we don’t use it, we’ll lose it. Take some time to take a look. From the main page you can search for articles (magazines, newspapers, academic journals), books (including encyclopedias and biographies), radio and TV transcripts, country reports, state/province reports, primary source documents, or images (photos, maps, flags) on nearly every topic you can think of. Titles and information are updated almost daily, and in several cases I’ve read an article via the database before the magazine is delivered in my mail. All-around, it’s a wonderful resource for just about anything you’re interested in.