31 October 2014

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling


A brilliant 28 book on digital story telling.
The book covers projects, processes, as well as numerous ideas.
Although the book is old, all the software, as well as all the ideas
still apply. 
You can download all the software from my software page on the
right for free or click on the button below.

Developing Critical Thinking

Developing Critical Thinking 


This is a great 37 page book from Microsoft that
covers critical thinking through web research skills.

There are great samples of lessons that you can use and
all the lessons are done for various ages.

The components of the curriculum are: 
1 Mechanics of searching
2 Validity and reliability
3 Citing web sources
4 Civil discourse
5 Plagiarism

Click below to download the book (3.1 MB)

Rethink Teacher time

Rethink Teacher time


This is a great infographic that shows how to rethink professional learning 
and restucturing the school day to make learning more effective for all.
These are the three recommnedations from 15 teachers to help with this.
These are really greast ideas!

Download the original file below (3MB)

28 October 2014

A teacher's guide to social media

A teacher's guide to social media


Have a look at this great infographic that depicts
25 ways teachers can integrate Social Media into education.
Brilliant!!

Click below for the original pdf

Free reading strategy task cards

Free reading strategy task cards

Use this set of free reading strategy task cards to help your 
students practice these important skills. Students can answer 
on notebook paper and use the included recording sheet to 
keep track of the cards they have completed. A suggested 
answer key is included (answers for most of these cards are 
subjective, so the answer key is only offered as a guide). 

Download the original pdf below


This was a free resource from

10 groundbreaking techniques to unearth your creative potential

10 groundbreaking techniques to unearth your creative potential



This infographic reveals 10 groundbreaking techniques that will 
not only unearth your creative potential, but also help you materialize 
your ideas. 

Brilliant!!

Great Google search strategies

Great Google search strategies


Have a look at the 10 Google Search Tips All Students Can Use. 
Excellent!!
Click below for the original pdf 

Google Better searches

Google Better searches


Here is a great pdf, as well as a video that Vicki Davis
from @coolcatteacher created for showing how to do
better searches.

Click below for the original pdf



Brilliant!!
Thanks @coolcatteacher !

27 October 2014

Sir Ken Robinson Changing Education Paradigms

Sir Ken Robinson Changing Education Paradigms



Although I have posted this before.
I attended a course on Friday and once again watched 
and marveled at this talk.
Do yourself a favour and watch this 12 minute clip.
It is really amazing and will change the way you are doing thins!!

A History of social media

A History of social media


A great infographic depicting the history
of social media from 1969 to today.

A History of classroom technology

A History of classroom technology


If I look at this, I can clearly remember my school getting its
first overhead projector.  What a marvel of technology during this time.
Of course things have moved forward from this time.
A great infographic!!

Flipping your classroom in 6 steps

Flipping your classroom in 6 steps


1.      Plan: Figure out which lesson you’re going to flip.
Outline key learning outcomes and put together a lesson plan.
2.      Record: Instead of teaching your lesson as usual, record a video.
You can do this however you’d like, just ensure that the lesson contains
all of the elements you would have if you were doing it in the classroom
in person. Make it interesting and engaging. Ask yourself: would I
want to watch this?
3.      Share: Share the video with your students. Explain that the video’s
content will be discussed and used in class
4.      Change: Now that your students have watched the lesson,
they’ll be primed to delved into the topic in more depth than they
would otherwise be. Go for it!
5.      Group: A great way to explore the topic is to engage the class
in group discussions. Separate the students into smaller groups so
that everyone’s voice has a better chance of being heard, and
questions are more likely to be asked. Give each group a task
and a goal to work towards.
6.      Regroup: Get the class back together to share each group’s
work with the whole class. As questions, offer opinions, encourage
discussion.

Then, Review, Revise and Repeat! Figure out what worked
and what didn’t, add or subtract elements, change things
around, and try it again with a different lesson. It will get better
with time and practice!

20 Great Websites for Elementary Educators

20 Great Websites for Elementary Educators


This is a really great infographic.
Although I have used most of these and they are really great,
I used Funbrain on Friday and it was really exciting!
there are one or two that I need to go and explore.

24 October 2014

iPad as the Teacher’s Pet version 2

iPad as the Teacher’s Pet version 2


This is version 2 of "iPad as the Teacher’s Pet” 
It’s all about what can be done by Pad-using educators, 
whether or not their students have iPads. 
It is divided into seven sections:

Show on a Big Screen
Manage the Classroom
Assess Student Work
Interact with Students
Manage Your Files
Make Instructional Media
Learn New Things

Excellent!!

Click below to download the pdf (10 MB)


There is also a 6 page pdf available (10 MB)


18 October 2014

The Six Biggest Websites Compared

The Six Biggest Websites Compared 


This is a great comparison of Wikipedia, Amazon, YouTube,
Twitter, Facebook and E-bay.
There is some really awesome information and statistics
comparing each of these websites.
Brilliant!

Social Media Image Cheat Sheet

Social Media Image Cheat Sheet


This is really brilliant!
Here is the photo dimensions in pixels that you can use 
on the various social network sites.
Very useful to have!!

60 seconds in social media

60 seconds in social media


Here is a great infographic that depicts what happens
on the Internet every 60 seconds!!

Very cool!!

Internet Firsts

Internet Firsts


Have a look  at this great infographic.
There is some really great moments starting from the 
first e-mail in 1971 to what is happening today.

Excellent!!

Google Power User

Google Power User


This is a really great infographic.
There are some great tips on how to use Google for better searches.

Very Cool!!

E-mail Etiquette Poster

E-mail Etiquette Poster


From all the rules and protocols that exist in online communications,
Here are the 5 most important ones.
Download the original pdf below (1 MB)

10 October 2014

Your Name will fly on ORION'S FLIGHT TEST

ORION'S FLIGHT TEST


Send Your Name on NASA's Journey to Mars, Starting with 
Orion's First Flight

NASA is inviting the public to send their names on a microchip 
to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, including Mars.
Your name will begin its journey on a dime-sized microchip when 
the agency's Orion spacecraft launches Dec. 4 on its first flight, 
designated Exploration Flight Test-1. After a 4.5-hour, two-orbit 
mission around Earth to test Orion's systems, the spacecraft will 
travel back through the atmosphere at speeds approaching 20,000 
mph and temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, before 
splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

But the journey for your name doesn't end there. After returning to 
Earth, the names will fly on future NASA exploration flights and 
missions to Mars. With each flight, selected individuals will accrue 
more miles as members of a global space-faring society.

How Cool is this!!

05 October 2014

cooltext

cooltext


This is a great logo generator! 
It is a FREE ICT tool that lets you create an array of titles for 
PowerPoints, Word, blogs, websites, etc that are more unusual and 
appealing than the standard fonts available. 

I really like the fact that you can customize everything,
from the font, background colour, text colur, size, and
alignment. 

A few samples I made:


Click below to go to the website.

Did you know 2014

Did you know 2014



This is the new updated shift happens.
Really blows my mind every time I see this.
After seeing this, how are you going to change the way you teach 
and how you teach?

03 October 2014

Free Powtoon

Free Powtoon


Grab this offer before it becomes too late!

Each account gives one teacher + 60 students access 
(normally $96/yr per account)

Enter Promo Code: ToonUp5M

Click below to see samples of PowToon from my previous post!