Tag: Resources

Child1st Publications

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September 2, 2010
by Mark

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Resource: Child1st

(Please note that this is not a paid post)

Child1st Publications is an online resource that exists to serve children who are visual and right brained learners, covering, but not limited to, the autistic and ADHD spectrum. They offer products mainly for the younger learner, but also for those who may be learning English or consolidating their skills. On their site they write;

We believe every child can learn, that many learning failures are avoidable, and that a label assigned doesn’t have to be a life sentence. We believe brains are made to learn, they love to learn, and in most cases they will learn when conditions are right. We also believe that once the gaps in their understanding are bridged, they will progress rapidly.

Product designers at Child1st look at children first to discover how they learn most naturally. We integrate explicit phonics instruction with specific strategies (visuals, movement, storytelling, humor, rhyme, and patterns) to engage children with an array of learning strengths. Teach smarter, more efficiently, and with confidence.

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They provide resources for learning letters (Snap Letters), words (Snap Words), reading (Easy-for-Me Reading) and reading practice (Easy for Me Books). The site is over flowing with resources and materials; they always have reasonings for their products, explaining their purpose in a simply and easy to read manner. The team are currently working on translating their products into Spanish. A nice feature of Child1st is the ability to buy and download the products directly from the site. You can then print them out at your own convenience.

I recommend that you have a look at the site and evaluate whether it’s suitable for your students and your school. The staff are contactable through the website, their Facebook fan page and their Twitter account.

Popularity: 2% [?]

: Literacy, Resources
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10 Google Forms For the Classroom

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August 26, 2010
by Mark

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I must admit that, even though I have had an account for a while, I have only just really started to utilise GoogleDocs.

I’ve found it to be a tool that I can start to build on and use; it’s also a great way to share live documents with colleagues or students. That’s why I was excited to come across this article from Tom Barrett explaining ten Google based documents that designed for use in the classroom. I suggest that they be good starting points for integrating (I hate to say it) the power of Google into your class setting. The ten forms are;

  1. Get to know your class
  2. Emotion graph
  3. Spelling test
  4. Comprehension questions
  5. Weekly Reading Record
  6. Maths data handling
  7. Guided Reading Record
  8. Prior Learning Assessment
  9. Library Book Review
  10. Learning Success

Get your own copies from the article, which can be found here.

Popularity: 7% [?]

: Resources, Tools
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Phil Bird’s Classroom 201X

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August 25, 2010
by Mark

Picture 4.jpgPhil Bird’s website Classroom 201X is a fantastic resource essentially for the EOSL and functional English teachers, but educators of all persuasions will find a gem hidden in its pages. Phil (who’s located in the UK) writes primarily about the tools he encounters in his EOSL role; his latest post was an indepth comparison between Prezi and PowerPoint. The other resources that he offers can be found as pages across the top menu bar.   

His SmartBoard Resources provide a plethora of links and ideas, as well as connections to Smatboard software, including the Beta Smartboard Express. The Software Toolbox page is a great overview of about nine programs (only one of them has a cost), with links and ideas that will help particularly with Literacy teaching. The final page, Teaching Links, covers different categories, again giving some great links including Blogs, Twittering Teachers and Professional Development resources.

Phil has put in a fantastic effort in getting this site full of rich content. I suggest you set aside half an hour or more and explore Classroom 201X. You can also find Phil on Twitter using @pysproblem81

Popularity: 5% [?]

: Resources
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Quick References for Your Workplace

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August 24, 2010
by Mark

Picture 2.jpgJust quickly pointing you to some quick reference guides for your workplace.  

Custom Guide is an online learning environment that host a variety of guides that cover many programs, for both Mac and PC and even Adobe.

They are free to download and permission is giving for workplace distribution either via email or hardcopy. They are even allowed to be reproduced for your school’s website. A great pre-made tool for any PD or presentation you’re doing.

Popularity: 4% [?]

: Tools
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Prezi – You’re So Cool

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August 23, 2010
by Mark

This Prezi wasn’t designed by me, but I thought it was a fantastic way to showcase the type of presentation capabilities that Prezi is capable of. Beth Arledge is the original author and has done a fantastic job of showing some of the functionality of this new and exciting presentation tool. Prezi offers free and paid accounts as well as educator accounts. Get one and move away from the Powerpoint.

Yeah Prezi, You’re So Cool on Prezi

Popularity: 6% [?]

: Resources, Web2.0
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Edublog’s International Directory

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August 13, 2010
by Mark

Picture 1.jpgA few days back Edublogs launched a directory for Educational Blog owners to submit their website for listing in an international directory. Already in that short time, the directory lists hundreds of blogs, divided into 14 categories. Signing up is easy, takes all of two minutes; although there is a review process just to make sure it is all legitimate. You also get a fantastic little icon that you can then put on your website, as I have on the top right of my upper menu. If you’re looking for a site to follow, the directory gives you a snapshot of the site and the most recent posts. Well worth the little time it takes for you to sign up.

Here’s a link for the sign up form

Here’s a link for the blog directory

Popularity: 7% [?]

: Resources
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Three New Plugins for Edublogs

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July 22, 2010
by Mark

Picture 2.jpgEdublogs is a wonderful blogging platform, based on the WordPress system, but is set up for teachers and schools to blog safely with others in Education. It is also free for a basic account. They also offer a paid Pro and Campus account as well. This week Edublogs announced that they are supporting three new plugins for their platform to those paying subscribers who have the Pro or Campus accounts. The three updates are;

1. PayPal Plugin – This plugin allows you to collect donations and payments right inside of your blog. Payments for field trips, materials, clubs and more are now easy to manage – and are available in over 100 currencies and countries

2. Calendar Plugin – It is now easier than ever to keep everyone up to date and informed by using this new powerful plugin. It is easy to manage events, assignments, birthdays, or exams right from inside your blog’s dashboard.

3. Facebook Like Plugin – This plugin will place a “like” button at the top or bottom of your posts. Since many of your students or blog readers are probably on Facebook, this helps build community and interaction on your blog.

Edublogs have recently upgraded these Pro accounts with 10Gig storage. It’s a growing platform that has morphed through some good changes over the years. It’s stable and consistent, and for an educator who is toying with the idea of a blog, either for themselves or their class, look at what this platform can offer. At about $3.35 per month, with no ads and up to 50 individual blogs, it’s well worth considering.

Popularity: 6% [?]

: Resources, Web2.0
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ViewPure: Watch YouTube videos without all the other stuff

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July 21, 2010
by Mark

Application: ViewPure

This is probably the most down to earth website I have seen. It’s very similar to It’s so basic in it’s presentation but so profoundly simply. And I’d say that’s exactly what the creators of ViewPure want you to recognise. The premise of their site is to take YouTube videos and strip away all the other ‘nonsense’ that you don’t need when watching a tube video in class. There are no coments, no embedding or sharing options, no related videos – just the video you want.

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There are three unique features to this site;

1. You copy the Youtube url or ID and paste it into their prompt, press create and you get access to the video.

2. Clicking the ‘Options’ button on the left allows you to tweak a few things. You can create your own url at pureview.com, a password to protect the link, whether you want it wide screen or standard 4:3, a white or black background, and as a final option, you can specify a particular time within the original clip for the video to start.

3. The third feature is an ability to drag the button up into your bookmark bar (or right click and favourite it in IE) so that whenever you are on a YouTube page you can immediately strip the video of all unnecessary elements.

Here’s an example of a video as presented through ViewPure of my kids using a FlipCamera.

Popularity: 7% [?]

: Resources, Video, Web2.0
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Six Tips From MakeUseof.com to Make Great Screencasts

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July 19, 2010
by Mark

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Screencasting is a great way to get a point across quickly, visually and memorably. It’s becoming a more and more popular way for people to share their knowledge on a particular subject. But what makes a good screencast? How can you effectively get a lesson or a tutorial across in a timely and memorable manner?

Well, MakeUsOf.com has an article to help you do just that. They’ve included 6 tips which I will include here in summary for you;

  1. The Right Apps
  2. Setting the Right Resolution
  3. The Right Gear
  4. The Right Words
  5. The Right Format
  6. The Finishing Touches

You can find the original article here.

Popularity: 5% [?]

: Resources, Video
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50 Really Cool Online Tools for Science Teachers

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July 15, 2010
by Mark

Picture 2.jpgEducation is certainly taking its place amongst the realms of the internet. From classroom blogs to fully fledged courses, it’s not just a place for school’s to advertise their wares. One place that allows participants to complete courses via cyberspace is Online Degree Programs. Here’s something from their ‘About Page’

If you are considering going back to school and don’t have the time for a traditional campus life, or if you just desire your education delivered in a different format than in overcrowded lecture halls, then online education is the solution for you. Online Degree Programs is here to help you achieve your higher education goals by sorting through the best schools with the best online programs so you don’t have to.

With everything from entertainment to communication to business going online, it is only natural that education follow suit. Online education is just the thing to bring many people back into higher education, especially those with demanding schedules that do not fit into rigid classroom presence requirements.

However, it’s not just students that they attract or target. Online Degree Programs also have features for educators. One nice resource that they have for Science Teachers is a compilation of 50 online tools. Divided into categories they cover;

  • Science tools to use with students
  • AP tools
  • Websites and resources for Science Teachers
  • Calculators
  • Online Games
  • Google Earth

You can find the complete listing here, as well as a short paragraph of each of the tools offered. A terrific resource, and one that should be shared amongst science faculties of both elementary and secondary schools.

Popularity: 5% [?]

: Resources
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