Pete's PowerPoint Station

This resource can be found on the Technology Resources for Tahoma Elementary Teachers website. 

Pete's PowerPoint Station contains a HUGE collection of FREE presentations in PowerPoint format. The site has a primary feel but has resources for K-5. To the left is a snip of the various categories. Once you select a category you will be given a description of what is included in that category. Click on Free Presentations in PowerPoint Format & Activities for Kids to be directed to the list of sub categories. Finally, click on the name of the presentation and you will be given the option to open or save the PowerPoint presentation.

The great thing about this free resource is that you can edit the slides if necessary (Some presentations are text heavy so you will want to take some time to explore.) and it makes learning visual through the use of images. And did I mention it's FREE!  

For this weeks post: Choose one or two categories and explore the presentations. Tell us what you found and how if fits with your grade level curriculum.  

Google Apps and Google Teacher Academy

The Google Teacher Academy is held in a different city each year and, although they accept applicants from outside the area, priority goes to those within a 100-mile radius. This year, that could be you since it is being held in Seattle and I hope it will be! Google isn't just a search engine. Google tools (Docs, Sites, etc.) and other Google products, like Google Earth, offer a lot of opportunities for teachers and students, and you could be on the cutting edge of this as a Google Certified Teacher. (Does that sound cool, or what!?)

Interesting in applying? (Pretty please?) Great--head on over to the Google Teacher Academy site, read all about it and get started on your 1-minute video. Application and video are due June 16. Let me (Christine) know if you have any questions or need any help.

Not interested in applying, but wondering what all the fuss is about with Google Apps in schools? Google has numerous tools for educational use such as Blogger, Google Maps, Google Earth, Custom Search Engines, Google Docs and more!

For this weeks post, review the two e-books (Google for Teachers, Google for Teachers II) and/or Google for Educators-Tools for Your Classroom and share with the group one or two ideas you have for using Google as a teaching tool and/or with your students.

Check out even more tools here!

Making Learning Visual

Today I am going to highlight three websites that can be used by teachers and students as a tool for learning about animals related to our integrated units. Photos and videos are so powerful when it comes to teaching students about animals because it allows them to come alive! Students are always amazed when they are able to see animals in action, especially when they have never seen the animal before.

Arkive is a website which contains videos and images of the world's endangered species. You can explore the site by categories such as species group (mammals, fish etc.) or geography (continent and country). You can even type habitats such as Amazon Rainforest or Coral Reef into the search. There is a small library of resources categorized by age (7-11, 11-14) with games, PowerPoints etc. When you search by category you have the option to sort your list by Top 50 Species, Common Name, or Scientific Name. When you type a specific name into the search you can sort by Species, Video, or Image. Once you click on a specific animal you can view the images as a slideshow as well as read information about the animal (facts, description, habitat etc).

Ocean Footage and Nature Footage each contain a huge collection of animal videos. Each video is a preview of a full video available for purchase, so each is less than one minute. Search by category or type in a specific animal. Students love exploring numerous clips. The only down side is that there is no audio, but students don't seem to mind.

Scholastic News Interactive

Did you know that with your order of 10 or more subscriptions to Scholastic News (Grades 1-6), you get a FREE digital edition of the magazine?!

These interactive issues allow your students to read and learn in a whole new way! Teachers and students can hear text being read, highlight text, add digital sticky notes, view videos, define words, and explore additional resources. Teachers can use the mask tool to show students the focus area of the magazine. Teachers can also select an alternate level (in some magazines) for easier text. The "show what you know" quiz page gives you instant feedback on your answers. Comprehension skills sheets are available to print to check for understanding.  

For this week's post: Go to the site to watch a demo or take a tour! Tell us how you would use Scholastic News to enhance your curriculum. Would you use it with your home class or your reading class?



National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids is a great site for finding information, images, and videos related to the K-5 integrated units. Teachers can use the site as a teaching tool during instruction. Students can visit the site to explore and learn. Students can also use information from the site for research projects. I recommend visiting the site and looking at three sections:

1. Animals & Pets (All grades)

Hover over the tab and click All. Use the tabs to the left to sort the animals by type such as Dinosaurs, Invertebrates etc. or by habitat such as Forest, Ocean etc. Once sorted, click on an animal and click on the arrows to scroll through the text and images. Visit the Video & Sound tab as well as the Map tab for more learning. Older students can click on Print this Creature tab to view facts for research projects. In order to get back to the library of animals, teach students to use the blue back arrow in Internet Explorer and click to resort the animals.

2. Countries (1st-4th)

Hover over the tab and click All. Select a continent to sort the countries. Select a country to view facts, images, and videos. Older students can click on print this feature to view facts about geography, history, people & culture etc. for research projects.

3. Community (4th-5th)
Hover over the tab and click Blogs. There are several blogs written by students. Click on the title such as Dog Eared, Green Scene, Hands-On Explorer, etc. and view current and previous posts. Leave comments as well!

National Geographic has a magazine for K-1 teachers and students called National Geographic Young Explorer! Their website has interactive versions of their current and past issues for free! When you visit the site, click on More Issues to view the most current issues and scroll to the bottom to find a second page of Past Issues. There are frogs, butterflies, coral reef, habitats and more! So many connections to our curriculum!

For this weeks post, visit the website and tell us how you plan to use it with students. What connections did you find to your grade level curriculum? 

iPod Flash Cards

One day Kimberly and I were talking and somehow the idea of creating flash cards came up. She suggested creating flash cards for students to access using their iPods. While searching online she came across Mr. Coley's website. After looking at his site we figured he must be single because how could he maintain such a wonderful classroom website. (His website shows he is married with children. How does he do it?) Mr. Coley has been kind enough to give us directions on how to create flash cards for our students using PowerPoint. He also has a library of flash cards that he has created. I was eager to try it myself and realized that in addition to parents/students putting the flash cards on an iPod, I could e-mail the PowerPoint presentation or JPEGs to parents and they could then open the attachments on their cell phone and allow their child to practice their math facts or spelling words in the car or grocery store. They could also access them on their home computer. There are so many ways to help our students succeed!

For this weeks post:

Explain how you could see yourself using/creating flash cards for your students. How would you provide access to your cards for parents/students? Give it a try using his directions/tutorials and let us know your successes and challenges.

Finding Resources Through RSS Feeds

I love RSS feeds! I subscribe to several and I am always finding new ideas for the elementary classroom. (To learn more about RSS Feeds, click here.) My two favorite blogs are Free Technology for Teachers and iLearn Technology. Recently Richard Byrne, author of Free Tech for Teachers, blogged about a fabulous resource. It is full of Web 2.0 tools organized by function such as podcasting or blogging as well as by topic such as fair use or privacy. Click here to read about the STHS Library Guides' collection of Web 2.0 tools.

I also enjoy free e-books. Richard Byrne has posted several e-books. One of my favorites is The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators. It is written by bloggers, teachers, and school administrators. Click here to read his blog post about the book and links to the authors' website/blog. Two of the authors, Kelly Tenkely (former elementary teacher, current technology integration specialist) and Lee Kolbert (elementary teacher) have blogs that I follow as well. (Click on their name to see their blog.) All three have wonderful ideas and resources for elementary classrooms. For this weeks post, explore the Web 2.0 tools OR read through The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators. Read about the resources in the Elementary School section and the Blogging in Elementary School Classrooms section. Tell us your Top 3 resources for classroom use. How could you use these tools with your students?