Technology Rocks @ BCS

iBooks Author

2012-02-07T14:26:00.000-05:00

iBooks Author is a free application for Macs that allow users to create books that can be downloaded from the iBooks 2 bookstore. The books can be easily created using the WYSIWYG editor and even allow the inclusion of interactive objects like 3D images, gallery of images, simple quiz-type activities, and so much more. This is a great tool for teachers and students working to create their own book content for use in or out of a course. The application is free and available in the Mac App Store.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks-author/id490152466?mt=12

Curriculum-Based Early Learning Site

2012-01-30T14:43:00.004-05:00

ABCmouse.com is an exciting site filled with more that 2,000 individual learning activities, geared to early learning experiences! You will find 4 curriculum subject areas with 350 lessons on this interactive site. Reading, Math, The World around us and Art and Colors have activities that engage the young learner.

The Reading Curriculum includes "uppercase and lowercase letter recognition, phonics, recognizing sounds, rhyming word and word families."

The Math Curriculum includes "recognizing and counting numbers 1-100, shapes recognition, the meaning of addition and subtraction."

The World Around Us Curriculum includes "the body and health, sports, plants and animals, weather and seasons, and The Earth, moon, sun and stars."

The Art and Colors Curriculum incorporates drawing and painting, shapes and colors to "create original works of art."

This award-winning site makes learning lots of fun!

2012-01-16T16:12:00.003-05:00

What kid doesn't love money? If you want to get a student's attention, just include money in your lesson. And where should you go to get some great lessons that include money? The U.S. Mint!

http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/siteInformation/

This site includes HUNDREDS of K-12 lessons using money as a starting point. I am not just talking about economic or math lessons. They also include geography, history, reading - I even found a first grade lesson teaching the long e sound using a Sacajawea golden dollar! Each lesson tries to teach using lessons that encompass different areas of the curriculum and include all the materials (except for the coins - you have to supply those). So to get a student's attention - try money! (It always works for me...)

LibreOffice

2012-01-10T12:48:00.005-05:00

LibreOffice is a 100% free, open source, office suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more! You can easily import files from Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and many other formats, and can easily save to Microsoft Office® and other formats when needed. Click here for the FREE download button.

Teachers' Domain

2012-01-10T07:00:00.024-05:00

TEACHERS + FREE RESOURCES = AWESOME TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES!

Go to Teachers' Domain and create your FREE (did mention that it's FREE?) account. Get started by either searching by topic or browsing by your state standards.

"Teachers' Domain is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners. You’ll find thousands of media resources, support materials, and tools for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and teacher professional learning communities"

Most recently a teacher I work with found a short video clip of the water cycle that she included in her Smart Notebook lesson. It helped her 2nd grade students grasp the concept of the water cycle in about 30 seconds!

AudioNote Lite App

2012-01-05T13:08:00.003-05:00

Audionote Lite is a free app that combines the functionality of a notepad and voice recorder. This app allows you to type notes, record what is being said by the teacher, use a highlighter tool or a drawing tool to create visuals. What a great tool for a student who has trouble remember what the teacher's key points were in class, or if you are in a meeting and don't want to take notes the whole meeting. You can playback the meeting and be reminded of important things.

The Lite version will allow you to record up to 10 minutes of audio per a note and 2 hours total. The full version is $4.99 and also allows you to share notes via email and wifi.

SMART Document Camera 330 with Mixed Reality

2012-01-01T05:00:00.003-05:00

Are you one of the lucky few who recently found a black and white cube with your new SMART document camera and wondered, "What in the world is this?" The cube is used with Mixed Reality, which offers an innovative way for you to foster deeper engagement and understanding by enabling your class to interact with 2D, 3D, animated and audio-enriched content.

Click here to watch a video that introduces you to your new treasure!

App Store Rewind 2011

2011-12-27T10:55:00.002-05:00

So you were lucky enough to receive an iPod Touch or an iPad 2 for the Holidays!
Check out the App Store for a great review of what the hottest apps were of 2011.
Enjoy and kick back and see what all 2012 will have to offer!

Is the iPad about to get Microsoft Office?

2011-12-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

Is this going to kill the laptop? Probably not just yet. However the trend is looking like eventually laptops will get replaced or take a back seat in the market. One of the pieces to the puzzle for that to happen is for the iPad or tablets to have some type of solid Office components. The speculation is that Microsoft Office will be ready for the iPad sometime in 2012.

Source: The Daily, Matt Hickey "Word on the Street"

BrainPop Jr.

2011-12-12T15:38:00.003-05:00

Brain Pop Jr. is an award winning educational resource aligned to standards of Kindergarten through 3rd grade. The VA standards can be found by choosing the grade level and subject and searching for matching standards. The site covers Science, Reading and Writing, Math, Health, Social Studies and Arts and Technology. This is an exceptional resource for teachers!

Students enjoy watching the videos and interacting with the lessons. They are SMART Board compatible and make learning lots of fun!

There is a free trial offer that is easy to sign up for and explore the site. Bedford Primary School subscribes to BrainPop Jr. The funding was made available through the 21st Century grant and the teachers use it often. School site licenses allow unlimited use and remote access as well.

Give this site a visit and be sure to begin with the Grown Ups Guide. It is geared to answer all sorts of questions a teacher may have prior to exploring Brain Pop Jr. and finding the many resources in just one place!

http://www.brainpopjr.com/

Ujam

2011-12-08T14:00:00.001-05:00

Ujam is a free online program similar to Garageband. Currently, they are having a Christmas music creation contest. Join and enter to create your masterpiece holiday song!

http://www.ujam.com/campaigns/ujamxmas2011/introduction

Middle School Math

2011-12-08T11:25:00.004-05:00

www.stemcollaborative.org/projects.html

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's STEM Collaborative Website offers a unique way to engage middle school students. There are 4 interactive learning adventures which encourage problem solving, critical thinking, and proportional reasoning while solving real-world problems. Each adventure includes support materials, interactive experiences and lesson plans.

eduTecher

2011-12-03T21:40:00.008-05:00

eduTecher was founded in late 2007 as a way to keep track of the growing number of web tools that could be used in the classroom setting. The website’s mission is to help educators and schools around the world effectively integrate technology and web tools into the classroom. eduTecher currently provides links to thousands of web tools and provides concise information on how these tools may be useful in the classroom setting.

Visit - http://www.edutecher.net/ or download the eduTech app from the iTunes store.

Jeopardy Review with SMART Response Clickers!

2011-11-18T10:32:00.001-05:00

Teachers, if you've used a Jeopardy Review game in Power Point, you will just love Jeopardy with the SMART Response clickers! The template can be downloaded from SMART Exchange (Join for free!to download all kinds of lessons after following the simple search steps). Mrs. Backlund and Ms. Scott from Bedford Middle School used this neat interactive tool with their 6th grade math and science students and it was a hit!

Photo Collages with Photovisi

2011-11-10T05:00:00.010-05:00

Create a Photo Collage in minutes!

Easily create photo collages at the Photovisi website. Just select your template (there are bunches to choose from), add photos from your computer or a webcam, and change your background. You can further edit your collage by rotating, cropping, and resizing the photos. You can also rearrange and layer your photos and fun shapes that are included in your background. Once completed, you can download straight to your computer and save as a .jpg or share via email! Here is a student sample below.

Fun stuff!

Interactive Cells!

2011-11-04T07:49:00.006-05:00

The University of Utah has interactive animal and plant cells. For each orgenelle there is a short video and/or audio explaination to enhance understanding of parts and functions. There is a guide that students can use to explore these cells. Many students use Cells Alive website, but this is an alternative site.

Jing-Instant Screenshots and Screencasts

2011-11-01T11:16:00.005-05:00

Capture what you see on your monitor! You can make up to a 5 minute video using the FREE version of Jing. Visit http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

The Elections are Coming!

2011-10-31T08:36:00.006-05:00

Use the upcoming elections to teach real world skills.

Language arts: Write letters to your representatives!

Math: Watch and graph the polling numbers.

Science: Track the psychological appeals used in political ads.

Social Studies: Oh, let me count the ways.....

http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/

Teachers can find lots of primary source resources by signing up for C-Span Classroom. Sign-up is free.

Free maps, videos, lesson plans and voting information is available when you register. Make sure to visit C-Span Constitutional Clips which includes video clips from c-span that illustrate how the consitution works daily in our government.

Teachers can also find election information on the ipads using the My Congress app.

Here students can type in their zip code and get a listing of their representatives in Congress along with online news articles about their positions and congressional activity. Contact information is available so that students can get involved and send in their opinions. Their voice can be heard - the future is in their hands.

iPad 2 as a Document Camera

2011-10-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

Don' t have a document camera, but have an iPad2. Well then you have a document camera.
Buy an adjustable iPad mount like this or find some tools around school to hold your iPad2 and use it as a document camera

Use the app BOARD CAM it allows you to draw, use pointers and stick labels over the video image. You can also record a video of whatever you do in the screen. The app has been out for a while and has evolved including other presentation tools. Currently it also allows you to do the things described above over an image selected from the device's photo album.

Technology Tip Sheets

2011-10-21T09:33:00.001-05:00

Cyberbullying. Sexting. Social Networking. NetSmartz Workshop introduces you to these and other important Internet safety topics through tip sheets for children and their trusted adults. Use them to educate yourself and others in your community about the main online risks, to accompany NetSmartz Internet safety presentations, and to engage children in discussions about appropriate online behavior.

Netsmartz and Walmart present some to the point Tip Sheets for educators, parents and children.

(Click Here to view site and download)

Explore the World of Insects

2011-10-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

Bugscope allows teachers everywhere to provide students with the opportunity to become microscopics themselves-the students propose experiments, explore insect specimens at high

magnification and discuss what they see with the institute's scientists-all from a regular web browser over a standard broadband internet connection.

Click here for more information.

Twister - Create fake tweets

2011-10-14T11:31:00.005-05:00

Students can go to http://classtools.net/twister/ and compose a tweet from a famous person and Twister will do all the work to make it look real.

What would Lady Macbeth say if she had a twitter account?

PiratePad

2011-10-13T13:54:00.004-05:00

Want to have a place to chat and edit with others at the same time? Then try Pirate Pad! Invite others into your site and you can post your ideas and edit with others! This is similar to Etherpad. Enjoy!

Want to inspire your students to write?

2011-09-30T13:38:00.004-05:00

Why not try Storybird?

Storybird is an online collaborative storyteller. You set up your students' accounts. Your students pull in pictures from a high-quality collection of drawings and add their text to create their own ebooks. The result is a polished, professional-looking ebook they can take pride in and share with their class. With a teacher account, you can access all your student ebooks online under your account to review and share with others.

Want to try it? Go online and sign up for a teacher account to set up your class. If you need any help, ask your local ITRT for their assistance.

ExamView Tutorial Videos

2011-09-17T16:40:00.002-05:00

Here are some helpful videos to get you on your way to creating your own tests using ExamView. Thank you to Mike Semones for providing this resource!
http://www.einstructionwv.com/home/examview-videos

Sheppard Makes Learning Fun!

2011-09-16T10:18:00.000-05:00

Hundreds of educational activities, quizzes, articles, games and more, for kids and everyone to use online--and it's all free! http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

FREE Resources

2011-09-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

Federal Resources for Education Excellence(FREE) provides free resources from the United States Department of Education. FREE makes it easier to find teaching and learning resources from the federal government.
More than 1,500 federally supported teaching and learning resources are included from dozens of federal agencies. New sites are added regularly.
Check it out Here!

Internet Safety

2011-09-01T10:26:00.003-05:00

Check out these Online Safety Sites that do a great job of helping both teachers and students to understand online safety precautions. You may choose what works best for you and include it in your lessons. Use these sites to help meet the requirement of teaching Internet Safety!

http://staysafeonline.org
http://www.safekids.com
http://www.ciese.org/internetsafety.html
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org
http://www.isafe.org
http://www.netsmartz.org

QR Code Treasure Hunt

2011-08-28T11:25:00.005-05:00

Need and easy Treasure Hunt and want to use a mobile device to help you! Look no farther than

here. This cool QR Code Treasure Hunt Generator will walk you through the whole process.

Find your friendly ITRT to reserve the iPod Touch Cart for you or have your students use their own mobile learning devices.

Follow me on Twitter

2011-08-23T20:55:00.005-05:00

Follow @BCPSITRT on Twitter to find technology resources and news. Don't have twitter? You can go to https://twitter.com/#!/bcpsitrt to view my latest tweets.

Technology Help Desk

2011-08-21T12:09:00.003-05:00

Feeling Frustrated, Overwhelmed? Need Help?

Check out the Technology Help Desk! This site is designed to assist teachers and staff when an ITRT is not available. You'll find many "How-to's", technology integration ideas, and a wealth of information to assist you in the classroom. Check it out! You'll be glad you did!

Google Earth and Math

2011-08-18T14:04:00.001-05:00

Google Earth is a very unique tool for real world situations. This will show you how you can use Google Earth with Math.

Math teachers are always searching for meaningful, practical math lessons that engage their students. This is just the site to implement.

This site also shows how to use Google Sketch Up with math as well.

Real World Math

Top Ways to Use your ITRT

2011-05-24T11:19:00.015-05:00

As the school year begins to wind down for the summer, here are some ways to get a jump start on your technology integration for next year!

Xperica- A New Science Experiment iPad App

2011-05-11T08:52:00.020-05:00

Introduced in April 2011, Xperica is a new Science app for conducting high school Science Experiments. This free tool is making teaching and learning more visual, hands-on, and minds-on. Topics covered are Resistance, Oscillation (Spring & Bob), Law of Moments, and more.

If you're interested in having the Experiment 1 Pack (Projectile Motion, Archimedes Principle, Pulleys, etc.) please connect with your ITRT. For more information, visit: http://www.xperica.com/

Happy Exploring!

TeachAde & Adopt-A-Classroom

2011-05-09T07:57:00.019-05:00

TeachAde (http://www.teachade.com/) is the first interactive website with Web 2.0 tools designed exclusively for K-12 teachers, giving them the ability to share, search and create resources to enhance their teaching and professional development as well as network with other teachers. The free site is designed to improve education by enabling online teacher communities and resource sharing.

Adopt-A-Classroom provides an easy and effective way for parents, friends, family, contacts, local businesses and social network friends to make direct donations to classroom teachers. Teachers register and use outreach tools to spread the word.
You will have the ability to use donated funds to buy the supplies that fit your classroom needs.
All donations are tax-deductible.
100% of all donations are passed through to the teacher.
The Adopt-A-Classroom program is also a proven resource for school fundraising and PTA fundraising.

Register your classroom now!

SWEET SEARCH

2011-05-04T08:06:00.004-05:00

Have you checked out this sweet search engine for students and educators? Click here to begin exploring all the amazing tools!

Send a GeoGreeting!

2011-05-02T11:48:00.002-05:00

Tired of sending the same old, every day Get Well, Thinking of You, or Happy Birthday messages? Why not send a GeoGreeting instead? Click HERE for my message to you!

It's simple to create. Just type your message, 40 characters or less, and the website does the rest. Then copy and paste the link and send to a friend.

Want to learn about the Why? and the How? of geoGreeting.com , click HERE for their FAQs.

Really think this is cool? You can even help the "Letter Hunter" find letters in Google Earth! Find out how HERE.

ZAMZAR-Free Online File Conversion

2011-05-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Ever had the need to convert a file or video and not had the right software downloaded? With Zamzar there is no software needed. Zamzar is a free online conversion site. Choose the format you need and convert your files and videos. The converted file is sent to you by email so you can easily retrieve it. Larger files take longer to convert so give yourself time. Check out http://www.zamzar.com/ for a list of conversion types.

SHMOOP

2011-05-01T20:35:00.001-05:00

This site is a great resource for students and teachers. It offers study guides in many areas for students. It also offers great teacher resources. There are many sample activities, assessments, etc. There is also a paid portion which gives you full access to all the resources. But if you are on a "free" budget, there are plenty of resources to find for literature and many other areas. This site is worth a look, if you are looking for new ideas.

2.0 Kids

2011-04-19T14:05:00.003-05:00

A middle school math teacher was telling me how resourceful her students were.
They had homework that required them using a protractor and didn't have one handy. Some students searched and found ones to use online. Others searched the App Store and found protractor apps to download to their iPads.

Bookemon (create books online)

2011-04-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

Bookemon - Design & Make a Book Students can build a book online and if they like it they can pay for a bound copy. Here is a sample book.

Linda and the ROCKET BELT

by Ray Brown

Free Educational Websites

2011-04-11T15:39:00.005-05:00

History, Math, Spelling,

Outer Space, Dinosaurs, Music, Movies and

much more!

All here at this children's learning network and it's Totally Free!

Google Lit Trips

2011-04-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

In January, some of the SRHS 9th graders went on a virtual field trip with The Odyssey in Mr. Brown's English Classes. In the past, I have created Google Lit Trips from scratch but for this particular one, I found it already created on Google Lit Trips

There are many books located on this link that have been used to create a Google Lit trip. Please use these trips to take your students on a field trip as you read these books or after you read them. Just download the kmz. files into Google Earth and you are on your way.

If you are interested in doing a Google Lit Trip, but the book is not included on this site, see your local ITRT to help you create one. Within a few steps, you and your students will be off to a great new adventure!

Entertainment is Going to the Cloud

2011-04-01T11:06:00.003-05:00

It won't be long and you will be able to access all of your music and videos on your computer from anywhere. Amazon, Google and Apple are leading the charge to create a cloud platform for your music and videos. Essentially music and video on your computer can now be stored on their computer servers. This will allow you acccess to your media from anywhere with a Wi-Fi or 3/4G connection.

To learn more about the future of cloud media: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704559904576229222176957398.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews- Ethan Smith

Looking for some SMART Notebook files?

2011-03-26T12:02:00.001-05:00

Below is a search engine created Obe Hostetter, who runs the Smartboard Revolution Ning. Obe has created search engine to specifically locate SMART Notebook files. I found it via a tweet by dannynic. Be sure to check out his Whiteboard Blog.

Try the SMART Notebook search HERE.

Tumblebooks: Free eBooks through Bedford Libraries

2011-03-23T12:00:00.002-05:00

Click on the image above to go to the website for Bedford Libraries (click on Tumblebooks in the middle of the page).

Big Huge Labs

2011-03-14T12:11:00.006-05:00

Big Huge Labs will allow you to do "Fun Stuff with Your Photos." There are many areas to explore. You can make a magazine cover, motivation posters, CD Covers, trading cards and so much more. This tool is great to support literature circles or content area information. It provides students with opportunities that allow them to share what they understand in a creative way. Students can use a digital camera to capture images to support what they are learning. Student's will be motivated to make trading cards for the states of matter or a magazine about the main character of a novel. Take a look and think outside the box for ways to use this site. Any ideas you wish to share, leave us a comment below.

Tap to Talk Gives Non-Speaking Students a Voice

2011-03-11T11:01:00.006-05:00

I had the pleasure of working with a non-speaking student and her teachers this month. We spent a morning, exploring the "Tap to Talk" app, giving this young girl a voice. She enjoyed this free application on the iPad and had a chance to communicate, "I need to go to the bathroom," "Juice please," "I'm tired," and much more.

An experience I'll never forget. Best of all. . .

we've created an opportunity for her to share

her voice.

For more information: visit, http://www.taptotalk.com/

Blogging with your Phone

2011-03-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

Did you know that you can post to your Blogger Blog directly from your phone?
To set up this feature, simply log into your Blogger account on your computer, go to your dashboard, go to the desired blog you wish to email to, choose Settings>Email&Mobile. Under Email Posting Address fill in the "secret words" you want for the posting email address. Then you have the options "publish emails immediately, save emails as draft posts or disabled" to choose from. Then save your settings. Add your email posting address into your phone's address book, and now you can blog on the go! I just did!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular

EGGSPERT- One of Many Interactive Game Systems

2011-03-01T09:39:00.001-05:00

Turn your review sessions into exciting, energizing games with Eggspert, the interactive game system. Eggspert has 2 game modes Quiz Show and Wheel of Fortune-perfect for reinforcement in any subject. In quiz mode, the students buzz in to answer the question verbally. Wheel of Fortune mode the teacher spins the eggs and the one that remains lit the student assigned to that egg answers the question. $34.95 through Academic Superstore

http://www.academicsuperstore.com/products/Educational+Insights/Eggspert/1307171?uumc=550517&utm_medium=paidsearch

Find that APP!

2011-03-01T05:00:00.002-05:00

Here is a quick way to find that app FAST on your ipod Touch. Sure, you can flip through the pages upon pages of apps to find what you want, but there is a much quicker way!

Click the home button once to get to your iTouch's homescreen, then click it again. A search screen will appear allowing you to type in the name of the app you are looking for.

Here I've started typing in the app, Tan-Zen. After only typing in the first two letters, the app I'm looking for has already popped up in my search results. Just click on it in the list and the app will open.

Not only can you search for apps this way, but also videos, music, photos, and podcasts!

Now you can find that app FAST!

Brain Thinking Puzzles and Games

2011-02-16T08:53:00.008-05:00

From fun and easy to hard and tricky.
Clever puzzles and games to stretch your
mind and tease your brain.
Daily jigsaw puzzles too.

Check Out

How to Use Museum Box

2011-02-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

The following slideshow shows how to use Museum Box:

Using Museum Box

View more presentations from S Kennedy.

Please go to Museum Box and try it at http://museumbox.e2bn.org/

Triptico Desktop Resources

2011-02-03T11:51:00.006-05:00

Do you want a cool way to pick students in your class? To keep score during group activities? How about creating your own word magnets with a custom background? If you are interested in any of these things you have got to check out http://www.triptico.co.uk/. You can download it for FREE!! It works great with an interactive whiteboard and you can use it even if you don't have access to a interactive board.

Check out this video from the creator.

:)

Slideshows to Go!

2011-02-03T09:13:00.009-05:00

Photo Peach

Create: Quickly upload photos and make slideshows

Share: Easily share your shows via email and Facebook

Embed: Easily embed in a blog or website

http://www.photopeach.com/

Butterscotch.TV- How Sweet It Is!

2011-02-01T06:00:00.024-05:00

If your looking for video tutorials about mobile, computer or other technology help look no further. Butterscotch.TV has plenty of easy to follow video tutorials available for view. If you don't see the help that you need you can even post a question for them to answer. Your own personal tech support is just a few clicks away!

http://www.butterscotch.com/

Kerpoof

2011-01-31T09:51:00.002-05:00

"Kerpoof is a website where your children can engage in creative play. The site is designed for students ages 3-13 but could be used by older students and adults. Kerpoof currently has eight dynamic activities that allow children of all ages to express themselves:

* Make a Picture
* Spell a Picture
* Make a Movie
* Make a Drawing
* Make a Card
* Make a Story
* Make a Storybook
* Doodle Pad

Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things, and being creative."
The site has a wealth of resources and even lesson plans. The featured lesson plan today was Tall Tales. Check it out here!

Vokis in the Classroom

2011-01-30T11:27:00.006-05:00

Go to http://www.voki.com/ to create animated avatars with your students! They can choose the character, type or record their message, and even upload their own background image.
The voki website has recently added a special section just for Vokis in Education that contains lesson plans on ways to use vokis in your classroom. Create a class account so you and your students can save and share your creations with each other. This could be a great way for your students to create, interact, and review their curriculum content!

Create a Glog with Glogster edu!

2011-01-19T13:49:00.006-05:00

Click on the glog above to view numerous samples of other glogs. Glogs are online multimedia posters with text, pictures, video, and sound. Click here to sign up for a free teacher account with 50 free student accounts. The premium account for pay also includes drawings and data. Click here for a fun tutorial on how to get started with your first glog. Glogs are great for an extension activity or a way for your students to make content more concrete. And they're online--which makes it easy for your students to present them to the class--no printing, posterboard, or messy glue involved. And grading them is a snap for you! Your students will enjoy creating these 21st century online posters!

National Archives Experience: Digital Vaults

2011-01-10T10:46:00.016-05:00

Visit the National Archives Digital Vaults for a unique and first-hand experience of primary documents from history. Click HERE to explore the contents of the vaults.

Begin by clicking on SEARCH to find information for a particular person or event. The search will reveal related images and documents with detailed information on each. Select one image to move to the center of the page and all other related documents will reorganize around that main photo. By hovering your mouse over the tags on the left of the screen, certain related images will be enhanced for your viewing. In the photo below, I did a "civil rights" search, moved the "Seat in Question" photo of Rosa Park's bus seat to the center, and hovered over the word "Women" on the left. You can see how some images are grayed out and you are left with the images that relate to Civil Rights, Rosa Parks, and Women.
Click on the PATHWAYS button to follow a series of clues that reveal relationships between photos, documents, and other related material or create your own pathway for your students to explore that you can Save or Email: Think Google Lit Trip but with documents and photos. Below is a Pathway on "Men and Monuments". By clicking on CREATE, you and your students can make interactive posters and videos using photos and documents from the National Archives Vaults to enhance your study of history.

Be sure to sign up for your FREE account to save all of your creations. This site provides a great way for you and your students to interact with history!

Create Videos You'll Love!

2011-01-05T14:39:00.004-05:00

Using animoto, create videos you and your students will love! In three easy steps, you'll have a professional video in minutes. From Ecosystems to World Cultures. . . your possibilities are boundless!

What about pictures, backgrounds, and music? It's all provided for you.

Enjoy my sample video entitled: Species In Need.

Then, sign up for a free account: http://www.animoto.com/. Looking forward to seeing your creations!

PicNik-Photo Editing Made Fun

2011-01-04T11:28:00.002-05:00

Picnik lets you make your photos unique. Picnik has easy to use editing tools. Get creative with effects, frames, fonts and shapes.
It is so easy and best of all it is FREE!
Check it out http://www.picnik.com/

Assorted Stuff

2010-12-08T09:23:00.004-05:00

Assorted Stuff, technology for teaching, learning, and communicating

Created by Tim Stahmer from Fairfax County Public Schools

In the AssortedStuff site you’ll find a collection of materials that has been used to train and support teachers (and others) who want to publish on the web, work with digital images, and generally use technology to improve their professional practice.

The 12 Scams of Christmas 2010

2010-12-07T14:49:00.006-05:00

It's that time of year for shopping galore! However it's also that time of year to be easily scammed. Recently security software company McAfee released it's "12 Scams of Christimas".

Picture Courtesy of Flickr.com

1. Free Ipad via email spam

2. "Help I've been robbed" via Facebook

3. Fake Gift Cards via Social Networking

4. Holiday Jobs Offer via Twitter

5. Smishing similar to Phishing but through cell phone texts

6. though 12. visit McAfee News

Facts and Answers!

2010-12-06T12:08:00.005-05:00

We're use to going to Google whenever we want to find information. However, there is another tool that may meet your needs in certain situations. WolframAlpha is a computational knowledge engine that gives you facts and answers! Try it! www.wolframalpha.com

Curriki

2010-12-01T18:59:00.004-05:00

Curriki is an online environment created to support the development and free distribution of world-class educational materials to anyone who needs them. Their name is a play on the combination of 'curriculum' and 'wiki' which is the technology they are using to make this site possible.

I found out about Curriki along with some other free sites through Open Source at the Educational Technology Leadership Conference I just attended in Roanoke, VA.

You can contribute your own materials. You can also build a whole collection of materials from resources you find. Members can bookmark resources they want to find again by clicking the Favorite link. You can also share individual resources with a friend by clicking "Email".

So become a member and explore this wonderful site available for teachers. Click the following link:
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/

Making a List and Checking it Twice.......

2010-11-22T10:57:00.009-05:00

Gonna buy some apps for students who are nice!

Need money added to your iTunes account or need a quick last minute gift for someone?

Apple makes it easy, allowing you to purchase iTunes gifts online and even gives you the option of emailing it to someone or printing on the spot.

Great way to get a last minute gift or rewarding your child for an awesome report card.

1. Open iTunes, under Quick Links select Order iTunes Gifts.
2. Select email certificates or print and you are in business.

Students use Twurdy for Research

2010-11-12T11:59:00.005-05:00

Do your students have difficulty with online research because the search results' readability is too difficult? With Twurdy, the results are color coded based on readability levels to help students choose more appropriate webpages.

The name Twurdy is based on the word play, "Too Wordy".

So, how does it work?

In Twurdy's own words:

"Twurdy uses text analysis software to "read" each page before it is displayed in the search results. Then Twurdy gives each page a readability level along with a color coded system to help users to determine how easy the page will be to understand."

Try Twurdy as an option the next time you ask your students to do online research.

Clickers Raise Test Scores

2010-11-08T22:03:00.008-05:00

Every school in Bedford County has access to clickers or personal response systems (prs). There are great benefits to using clickers in the classroom. For one clickers engage all students. Secondly clicker tests are automatically graded for the teacher. Thirdly clickers present an effective way of reviewing content. Also students and teachers get immediate feedback. Finally using clickers can raise test scores! A recent study in Texas showed a 80% to 60% difference between students that used clickers and those that did not. To read more about the study go to http://www.techlearning.com/article/23308

Contact your ITRT to find out how to set up your classes and tests to raise your student's scores.

Shout Learning: Explore, Connect, Act!

2010-11-08T10:55:00.012-05:00

Shout strengthens the connections among teachers, students, experts, and our natural world. Students and educators are encouraged to get more involved in global environmental issues.

Connect Online with Experts in the Field

Collaborate with experts
Share ideas
Solve problems

Shout Learning offers online events hosted by the Smithsonian Institute along with events from a variety of other sources. The Smithsonian Institute's November topic: Live With the Land. For more information about upcoming topics in the series, visit: http://shoutlearning.org/.

Stellarium

2010-11-05T00:00:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Boeren's Astronomy classes at LHS enjoyed using Stellarium in October! We viewed constellations from LHS here on Earth as well as from other planets. We learned about other cultures' starlore, too!
Click the image above to download Stellarium from Stellarium.org.
Click on the image below for great ideas for using Stellarium in your classroom.

Poll Everywhere! Check it out!

2010-11-01T12:21:00.007-05:00

Don't have your own personal response system for your classroom-Try Poll Everywhere! This is the fastest way to create real time experiences and get instant audience feedback. It is free for an audience of 30 or less. Students can respond using a mobile device or through a weblink.

Presentations with Pizzazz

2010-11-01T11:38:00.001-05:00

Are you tired of boring your students with PowerPoint slide after slide? Do you want to have your students remember your lecture?
Then you should give Prezi a try. Prezi allows you to create dynamic presentations that can be shared on line. It allows you to share information with your student's in a new and creative way. On the Prezi site, they have great tutorials on how to get started and make the most impact. Take the time to check them out under the Learn tab.
Hope this will add another tool to your belt.

Moon Globe

2010-10-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

One of the apps for iPod Touch recently used in an astronomy class at the high school level is Moon Globe. There is an awesome app review of this at the following link:

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002143/

So if you are an astronomy teacher or other science teacher who teaches about the moon, this app is for you! Some of the other apps used were 3D Sun, NASA, Space Images and Stars.

Above also are pics of some of the students in Mr. Hough's class using the apps on the iPod Touches.

Is Cyberspace NICE?

2010-10-11T14:01:00.003-05:00

Many federal agencies, non-profit organizaitons, academia and industries have launched a new initative. The acroynym is NICE. This stands for The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education. This program's design is to highten awarness of cybersecurity through education. At the same time strengthening our country's workforce in cybersecurity. If you would like to learn more about this program go to

http://csrc.nist.gov/nice/index.htm

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

IPEVO Point 2 View USB Document Camera

2010-10-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

Looking for a replacement for your overhead projector, but no money in your budget for an expensive document camera. IPEVO Point 2 View USB Document Camera might just be your solution. It is simple to setup and use. Light weight, auto focuses and even captures images. Best part it is only $69 and they offer free shipping!

iTechSpec

2010-10-04T12:58:00.003-05:00

http://itechspec.wikispaces.com/

This wiki has been designed as a "one-stop shop" to visit, share, update, and continue adding resources to assist all those interested in all forms of education in being better prepared for the 21st Century and beyond! Resources are constantly being added and updated to also help educators, students and parents meet the requirements for the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, the National Technology Standards (NETS) and 21st Century skills, teaching and learning.

Stuff Ya Gotta Try--Some terrific typing sites!

2010-10-04T12:23:00.001-05:00

Click here for typing skills

It's Almost Science Fair Time!

2010-09-21T20:34:00.008-05:00

Are your students struggling with deciding on a science fair topic? Have them take the Topic Selection Wizard at http://www.sciencebuddies.org/. Once the student answers a series of questions, a list of Science Fair ideas are generated based on the their personal and academic interests. After taking the short survey, my son, a golf enthusiast, found the perfect project for him; "How Does Tee Height Affect Driving Distance?" The words, "This project is going to be awesome," actually came out of his mouth! I've never seen such enthusiasm about a school project in our house before.

Help your students find the perfect project for them by directing them to this tool!

EduTecher- Great Links for Teachers

2010-09-03T13:12:00.015-05:00

EduTecher is an online resource full of links to some of the most valuable webtools for instruction. More importantly, they provide tips on how the tools support what you teach.

To get started, browse by subject, and start enjoying what they have to offer. Know of a tool they've missed? Just send them an email and their happy to add it to the list!

Have a smart phone? Visit the app store and grab this free app! For more information, visit: http://edutech.org/

Literature Recap

2010-09-03T08:16:00.011-05:00

The Mission of 60second Recap™ is "to make the great works of literature accessible, relevant, and, frankly, irresistible to today’s teens. Through 60second Recap™ video albums, we seek to help teens engage with the best books out there ... not just to help them get better grades, but to help them build better lives."

This site offers 60 second video recaps on lots of literature such as: Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, The Scarlett Letter, and many more. These 60 second video recaps will surely get your student's attention. Check it out!

Weebly for Education!

2010-09-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about Weebly for Education? You can create Weebly accounts for your students to build and manage their own websites/blogs. You can create an assignment drop box where your students can upload documents to you. You can also earn extra student accounts and free upgrades by referring other teachers! Check it out! http://education.weebly.com
You'll have access to some exciting educational features.

2010-09-01T06:00:00.011-05:00

Click on the image above to go to Microsoft's tutorials for Movie Maker. You will be able to download a user's guide as well as view a step-by-step tutorial.

Word Sift

2010-09-01T06:00:00.009-05:00

Try Word Sift for an interactive, engaging way to introduce and help your students grasp content related words or challenging vocabulary.

Word Sift is an interactive word cloud generator. Simply copy and paste your desired text into the text box, and a word cloud will be created for you. Then the fun begins! Each word becomes a link to images, videos, definitions, antonyms, and synonyms. The words are automatically sorted alphabetically for you, but you can also sort them from rare to common and common to rare. Here is the word cloud I got when I pasted the text from the Advanced Biology curriculum map, BIO.9a

When I clicked on the word organism, here are some Google images that were found.

AND, here is what came up in the visual Thesaurus!

TAGXEDO, word clouds with pizazz

2010-08-25T20:26:00.005-05:00

To use it:
1. visit: http://www.tagxedo.com
2. Click start now or use the quick start window
3. On the "Creator" page, click the "Load" button, paste or enter your own text
4. Use the other options to change layout, colors, and shapes
5. Then click save

Look and Learn

2010-08-23T09:43:00.003-05:00

The Digital Blue Computer Microscope magnifies anything from 10x all the way to 200x. Students can view anything from ants, insect wings

to their school lunch or snack. Not only do you have the function of a microscope, it also serves as a multi-funtion digital camera for taking still images and creating time-lapse movies. A great learning souce for any student with an imagination!

EDTE.CH - Inspire Connect Engage Create

2010-08-17T07:18:00.002-05:00

Check out the Interesting Ways page on the EDTE.CH blog. This page contains all sorts of ideas of how to use technology in the classroom. My favorite is "Use Your Interactive Whiteboard in the Classroom."

Best Apps for 2009

2010-08-16T12:45:00.001-05:00

This is the second annual app achievement awards.

Check out what won awards for over 40 different categories!

Fraction Nation

2010-08-16T10:32:00.004-05:00

This is a new program we will be using with certain schools this school year. It is for grades 4-8. Please check out the site and watch the video.

http://www.tomsnyder.com/fractionnation/index.asp

Are your students struggling with fractions?

Introducing Fraction Nation

Fraction Nation targets fractions and decimals — two of the most difficult concepts to teach and learn. Designed to develop the critical foundations of fraction fluency — conceptual understanding andprocedural knowledge — Fraction Nation delivers fraction fluency through explicit instruction, extensive practice, and ongoing assessments. Fraction Nation guides students on a journey through 64 carefully crafted lessons to build a strong foundation in fractions and decimals — all in 15-minute lessons.

Rock On

2010-06-06T15:07:00.005-05:00

Oh, the places you'll go

With technology in tow.

You have touches in carts.

You have macs ready to go

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are IT as you decide where to go!

You'll look up and down halls. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With you head full of brains and your laptop in tow,

you're so smart to pick out the teacher that knows.

She'll open her door with a room full of kids,

and gladly, oh gladly, be glad that she did.

You'll wow those kids with latest best app

Or take them outside with a GPSr and a map.

Today I bid you farewell

But next year you'll move on

Your mountain is waiting

You'll find all the bright faces

to climb with you to Great Places!

There is much fun to be done

where Technology Rocks! regrets to Dr. Seuss

Summer Research for New Ideas

2010-06-04T08:35:00.005-05:00

In between your trips to the French Riviera and Costa Rica this summer, you may want to check out these K- 6 portaportals:

Math by SOL *** SS by SOL *** Science by SOL

Or visit these amazing sites:

Biology 4 Kids *** Geography 4 Kids *** Cosmos 4 Kids

Chem 4 Kids *** Physics 4 Kids *** Number Nut

I hope that you have a safe and amazing summer!

iPod touches at Boonsboro!

2010-06-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

Students at Boonsboro Elementary had the opportunity to use iPod Touches in their classrooms and that was "BIG" as one student was quoted. Whether it's Math, Reading, Social Studies or Science there's an 'App' for it.

2010-06-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

Need to review for those PSAT, SAT, ACT tests? Homework help? Go to http://www.brightstorm.com/

Project Learning: Making it Meaningful

2010-06-01T09:25:00.004-05:00

It's been a great year of technology integrated projects on every level. Teachers and students alike have been thrilled to have both the tools and support. Please enjoy the following video, Anatomy of a Project:"Kinetic Conundrum," where 8th grade students in Portland, Maine came together to produce art pieces using experiences in Art, History, Language Arts, Engineering, and Technology.

Have a fabulous summer!

video credits: http://www.edutopia.org/maine-project-learning-integrated-kinetic-art-video

Sporcle - mentally stimulating diversions

2010-06-01T07:23:00.006-05:00

Can you name all 44 presidents in 10 minutes? How about all of the Elements on the Periodic Table in 15 minutes? Sporcle is a fun website where you can test your knowledge of Music, TV, Movies, History, Science, and many other topics. It is a fun way to pass time on those long summer days.

Have a great summer!

Do you have Common Sense?

2010-06-01T00:01:00.003-05:00

Our children and students are growing up in the digital age. They are faced with many new situtations and experiences that we did not have to face while growing up. Help them navigate the complicated issues concerning media and technology by visiting the Common Sense Media webpage.

"Common Sense Media is a national organization led by concerned parents and individuals with experience in child advocacy, public policy, education, media and entertainment. They are dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology." Read their Mission Statement here.

The Common Sense website provides helpful resources with topics ranging from internet safety, digital citizenship, social networking, as well as information regarding website, movie, music, and video game recommendations. Create a free account and sign up here for their free newsletter.

Evernote is Very Noteworthy

2010-06-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

Do you find that you have too many notes or have a great idea and nowhere to jot it down? I have been using Evernote for about 4 months now and I love it. It is an online application that is free (for a certain amount of monthly usage). You can upload from any computer that has internet access. You can also downloaded it to your computer, so when you are not connected to the internet, you can work and when you connect it synchronizes with your online account and computer. I also have an App on my phone which allows me to enter notes when I am away from my computer. It has really helped me organize all my notes, ideas, and made me a more effective planner.

CRISS Training Resources

2010-06-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Have you attended CRISS Training? If so you'll find lots of Foundations, Resources, Strategies and Frameworks at this site.
Visit: Reading Quest

Stars App-titude!

2010-05-21T13:56:00.003-05:00

What a neat way to study constellations while the sun is shining! Mrs. Boeren's Liberty High School students were able to discover that for themselves! Using the Stars iPod app on iPod Touches, they drew various constellations, labeling them by name and adding major stars in each constellation. It was so easy to see which constellations are in the northern or southern hemispheres.

Biology App for HighSchool Lessons!

2010-05-18T10:15:00.003-05:00

Molecules is an app which helps students view three dimensional molecular images and use their fingers to manipulate them! This would pair well with Bio.6 b. Cell Specialization. How do I get access? Just ask an ITRT and we can reserve ipod touches for your group and download this free app for you!