Super Readers Interactive

This interactive is geared for PK-1st grade students. I added this as a weblink in Learning.com, so be sure to search for it and assign it out to your students. The site gives this description of the interactive "Play this Super WHY! game, Super Readers Challenge, to practice the alphabet, rhyming, reading, and spelling based on letters and sounds. Students are able to complete four different challenges, and with each, potentially earn a super letter towards the creation of a word. Each of the activities allows the student to work on a different aspect of reading and spelling." Your students will want to become Super Readers as they interact with this resource.

Detective's Notebook Game

Do your students need practice or re-enforcement for their skills in making predictions and inferencing? I explored a neat interactive that does just that. The site description is "This WPSU interactive The Detective’s Notebook Game is designed to get students to think about what they are reading and to answer questions that require inferencing. In the game the student has access to an amateur detective's notebook in which several clues or events have been observed. From these clues, some inference or prediction can be made. The game is part of Blue Ribbon Readers, a collection of games designed to help elementary school students learn to read." Visit the Detective's Notebook Game to utilize this interactive in your English/Language Arts classroom. This is geared towards K-5 students. This makes a great activity to do on an interactive whiteboard as whole group or for individual practice.

Future of Online Learning

My Mac became unhappy yesterday and I decided to do a much needed back up. How does that relate to the title for today's post? I watched some videos that I had created in the past and one in particular made me think...again. The video below was created in September 2010 after I had completed my Web Instructor Certification (Texas) course and was in the process of working on my master's degree. I took a class that focused on various types of digital learning platforms and the difference between them all. I remember that what I gathered from both experiences was that no matter what the digital learning environment (platform) was, it was still about what was best for the students utilizing the platform (whether child, young adult or adult learner). As a virtual instructor, the planning of your class must include an evaluation of your audience/students and how you can best deliver the assignments, information and resources to meet their needs. In that evaluation, comes the need to find a user friendly platform to create these items in. I encourage you to watch the video below about my vision of the future of online learning and evaluate your own views to find the most appropriate learning platform. My preference from past experience with several online learning platforms is Learning.com, hence the recent changes in my life/career path.

http://youtu.be/nlRolKDKP_g (opens in YouTube)

Math for FUN!

Any educator knows that reinforcing the skills students need to be successful in math is important at all levels. But, how do we make this reinforcement fun? Luckily we have manipulatives and interactive math games to assist us in the process.

When I taught math to my 1st grade students you were sure to find M&Ms, Skittles, plastic bugs, blocks and more in my classroom as I tried to find engaging ways for them to learn basic skills. Once the basic skills were there and we began working on story problems, I would see the "fun" begin to fade and the views of "work" set in. I wondered how I could bring the "fun" back into the picture. I was fortunate to have access to 2 computers (1 teacher and 1 student) in my classroom at the time which gave me my avenue to make the story problems fun.

Each student was given a mission...write a story problem based on something that interests you. That caused a few grumbles. In the eyes of my students, math did not include writing. We moved past the grumbles into the world of creativity when they realized that once they finished writing their problems they were going to create them on the computer. Using Microsoft Word and clipart my students created their story problems on the computer. Each story problem page included the clipart images that would be used to solve the problem. When we were finished with creating our problems, the students would print and test each other on their math skills. The kids loved this part. I would usually take it one step further and "publish" their story problems into a book that was laminated and shared with other classes. The classes that used the book would use vis a vis pens to solve the problems.

This was a great way to integrate math and technology into the world of my students. What are some of the ways that you integrate technology?

A few fun interactive math games:
http://www.mathsonline.co.uk/nonmembers/gamesroom/bugs/bugrace3.html - elementary level addition
http://www.primarygames.com/squigly/start.htm - lower elementary level number order
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/games/levelthree/KC_Blast_Off.html - elementary level addition
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/jetski/jetski.html - elementary level addition
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/cross_the_river/cross_the_river.swf - elementary fractions
http://media.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/island_chase/island_chase.swf - elementary subtraction

Bugs...Oh My!

 

Have you met Harry the grasshopper? Oh, well maybe Harry is a walking stick. Either way, Harry is a bug. I am not real strong in bug knowledge (obviously), but know that many kids love them and are curious about them. I stumbled upon a neat resource to assist educators in teaching about bugs or to help a student do research based on their own curiosity. Visit Harry's Big Adventure to find out about making "the world of insects come to life for your students." The educator center provides curriculum and lesson plan resources, as well as a place to request a visit from a bug expert. The site also includes a Bugopedia and games for students to learn more about bugs on their own.

For the record, I did a little learning of my own on this site and learned that Harry is a Chinese Praying Mantis. Check out the Meet Harry and His Friends section to learn more.

Science and Current Events Connection

The Why Files is a neat site for exploring the science behind what is being reported in the news. On this site you can find these connections, a link to teacher/classroom activities, archived articles and more. The classroom activities are broken down by grade level and national science standards. What an easy way to find what you need.

These guys have a mission...it is not just for fun and they have been around since 1996.

The mission of The Why Files "is to explore the science, math and technology behind the news of the day, and to present those topics in a clear, accessible and accurate manner." The site mentions that they are based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and that they hope their work helps to explain the relationship between science and daily life.

Check out The Why Files.

Have You Heard the News?

Learning.com Announced New Features      

New features will include:

• A new EasyTech Prescriptive Keyboarding report.
• A new Reporting Group column on state implementations of 21st Century Skills Assessment and WayFind.
• A new student user interface available for schools that opt-in.
• The ability to View items from any item list.
• A built-in spelling checker for teachers and students.
• Student ID will be required when adding a new student account.

Click here to explore more about the new features.

To prepare for the new features, the Learning.com system will be unavailable on February 2, 2012 from 5 PM to approximately 10 PM pacific time.

If you have any comments or concerns, please contact support@learning.com.