One Word, So Little Time

Ever been in the computer lab and the assignment doesn't quite take as long as you thought?  Or maybe you have some students who get done faster and become trouble makers?  Use this site to fill that gap in time.  OneWord is just what you think it is.  It gives you One Word.  It then gives you a Text-box for you to type a response to that one word.  You could free write and create a story from that word.  You could also create a poem where the One Word is the focus of the students poem.  Needless to say the website makes a great time filler...in any subject.

Once your students submit their response they can then see other responses as well.  It will refresh a word each time.  You might find that students really enjoy using the site with the opportunity to express their creativity.

Certificate Street

Great website for teachers to use to create simple certificate for their students when they achieve goals or accomplish tasks in your room.  Catergories are abundant and options for the certificates make it very appealing.  The web-based software is fairly easy to use.  Hover over the certificate to get a better view and then download as a PDF that you can then edit to meet your needs.  Does require color ink in your printer, but it sure does beat the templates available in Word or Publisher.  See below for categories.

Wiki Wednesday #3 - Educational Origami

Nominated and won the Best Educational Wiki in 2008 and 2009, the Educational Origami Wiki is loaded with useful information related to integrating Information and Communication Technologies in the classroom. The site takes a look at 21st Century education from many different perspectives. 21st Century education is changing the lives of students, teachers, parents, and even the classroom.

Through this wiki you will find an abundance of resources related to Blooms Taxonomy and how it changes to relate to 21st Century learners and educators. As educators we all know about Blooms Taxonomy. We all had it drilled into our brains in college. the question still remains though is how has Bloom's Taxonomy changed because of 21st Century Education?

The wiki also takes a deep look into Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, and Digital Citizens. How are they impacting education? How have lives changed because of these groups?  I especially like the Mind Map showcasing how a Digital Native uses their hours through life.  It also has very useful statistics that realtes to Digital Natives and Technology.

I highly reccomend you visiting the wiki and seeing what might be beneficial to your classroom, school, teachers, or students.  It is very well organized and up to date.

BumpTop - A New Desktop..3D!!!

Every once in a while there is that software that comes around that you look at and think...that is cool.  You then ponder, how could I use it to make my life easier.  For over 10 years Windows has had the same Desktop view.  No change.  Same folders, same windows.  Nothing but Blah.....Times are a changing.  One of the newest ways to improve the view of your desktop is BumpTop.  It is available for both Mac and PC's.  Imagine your desk...your actual desk being turning in to a computer screen.  The software has some great features and creates a 3-d desktop.

Here are some features:
- Drag and drop to a USB that FlashDrive...without opening a window or anything
- Swipe over and organize/pile documents, photos, links, etc. together
- Automatically upload to Twitter and Facebook from the desktop.
- Pin notes to side walls and then view those walls. 

My best advice is to watch the video below....Seeing is understanding.

Awesome Stories

Awesome Stories is a great site that has beneficial primary sources that students can use in English and Social Studies classrooms.  Find a topic that matches something you want to read and scan through the story.  Internal links allow you to get more information as well.  It also automatically creates a citation for you if students were to use it as part of a research assignment.

Topics include disasters, Biographies, Historic Events, Famous Trials, Religion, Inspiration, Movies, and Sports.  It covers such a broad spectrum that schools with a 1:1 program could utilize this site for readings within their schools as well as for homework.  You can sign up for the website which offers you added features.  Fairly easy reading and because their are hyperlinks within the stories your low end students can click on them to receive further information.  The site also includes slideshows, images, videos, and audio clips as well.  A very interactive way of reading a book.