We've all thought about it once or twice, especially now that it's August. You're thinking, man, in a couple of weeks it's back to the grind and back to the classroom. And you may have let out a sigh or groan as you thought it. No one likes ending a summer vacation! But it's also nice to get back to the smell of new pencils and paper. You're getting your lesson plans organized and outlined. You're getting to your classroom and setting up your room just the way you want it. You've got the seat assignments all mapped out. Your bulletin boards are being created with love. Workstations, centers, and computer stations are being cleaned with pride. You know how you are going to greet your new students. You know how you are going to explain the classroom procedures and rules, and where they should put their supplies. You may even give them their first assignment (whether it be making their own name tag, playing a circle game, describing their summer, describing themselves in one sentence, or naming an animal that best describes them.) And once you feel you are as prepared as you can possibly be, remember this:
On day one, consider bringing this kit to class to get you through the first day back.
1) A toothpick - for reminding you to pick good qualities in every student.
2) A key - to let you know you open the minds of countless children
3) Clay - a way to remember you can mold social and ethical values in your students.
4) A rubberband - to be flexible, especially on the first day.
5) A puzzle piece - to remind you that you are part of something bigger in the end.
6) A mini-handheld fan -to blow away those negative thoughts or doubts
7) Chocolate - a sweet treat to eliminate your stress
8) One marble - to keep in your pocket when you think you're losing all of yours.
9) A mint - revive that sore throat after talking so much.
10) Two Aspirin - when all else fails take 2 and start fresh in the morning!
Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. - Madeline Bridges
Sandwich every bit of criticism between two thick layers of praise. - Mary Kay Ash
Internet4Classrooms is pleased to feature Rich Mintzer as a guest writer this month as we highlight Exceptional Children and Irlen Syndrome.
Rich Mintzer is an author and journalist with over 50 published non-fiction books, many as a ghostwriter and articles on various websites. He also writes book proposals for new authors and edits their work. In the course of working with Helen Irlen on her latest book, The Irlen Revolution, he became fascinated with the work being done to help children read who had struggled, some of whom had spent years in special education classes. A staunch believer in Helen Irlen’s work, they have become friends over the years and Rich always takes the opportunity to write about Irlen Syndrome to let parents and educators learn more about this little known perceptual disorder. Rich lives in Westchester New York with his wife and their two teenagers. You can visit his website at www.richmintzer.com.
Read on to learn about a reading disorder you may be unfamiliar with.
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Reading Woes? It Could be Irlen Syndrome
by Rich Mintzer
Learning to read is a rite of passage into a literary world that opens many doors to a world of knowledge, discovery, fantasy and fun. But what is it like for those who struggle, who can’t read at grade level or, in some cases, can barely read at all? For some, repetition and phonics make a difference, while others benefit from glasses to solve vision problems. But what about those whose problems are neither cognitive or visual?
Many of these struggling readers have what is called Irlen Syndrome (a.k.a. Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome). It is a visual processing disorder that results in words, letters and numbers moving around or bunching together on the page making reading a major challenge. It is akin to looking at an optical illusion, which appears to be moving in front of your eyes, but isn’t. It is also a problem that flies below the radar because it does not show up on standardized tests. And yet, it can be corrected through the use of colored overlays and/or wearing colored lenses. However, since everyone is unique, the colors, or color combinations will vary greatly from one person to the next.
In the past 20-years, since former school psychologist and researcher Helen Irlen found that many people were struggling to read because of this particular perceptual disorder, some 8,000 educators have been trained to recognize Irlen Syndrome and millions of children have benefited from colored overlays, not only in the United States, but as far away as New Zealand and Australia. Unfortunately, the numbers are just a drop in the bucket. As a result, the parents of many children never learn about Irlen Syndrome.
So, What Can Educators Do?
The hope is that you can, with the support of your school, get a better idea of which youngsters might benefit from testing for Irlen Syndrome. Testing is completely non-invasive and, not unlike an eye-test, is all about the child telling the tester, or screener, what he or she sees during the testing process. In fact, parents are encouraged to take the tests along with their children not only for support but because Irlen Syndrome is hereditary, and they too might benefit from overlays or filters.
When it comes to observing possible candidates for Irlen testing, Kristina Uribe,Third Grade Language Arts/Social Studies teacher and Dyslexia Specialist, from the Bethune Academy in Aldine, Texas says that observation is very important. “I watch students very closely so see who avoids or refuses to read. Very often their body language gives me clues. They might be very restless in their seats, look up from their books soon after they started reading to the point that they do not go back to the book. Eye rubbing is another symptom that can be observed easily," says Uribe.
“Kids have a posture when taking tests, they usually lean into their work. A student who might need to be screened will have his hand to his brow, wear a visor or use his hand to shade his paper. I also look for kids who want to work but seem like they are working twice as hard as others in class,” says Monica Rice who teaches the sixth grade Beaumont, California.
Nancy Menn, a special ed teacher and Irlen Screener in Wisconsin takes the straight forward approach and asks students if the print changes after they read for a while, if the letters get blurry or move on the page, or if the page seemed too bright. “Some students look at me as if I’m crazy, and with others you see the light bulb go on and they talk a mile a minute about what was going on when they read,” says Menn, who has witnessed a number of students improve greatly with overlays and Irlen filters.
“I try to identify students whose verbal reasoning appears well above what they are able to produce in written form. I also identify students who are acquiring reading skills/ spelling skills or math skills at a slow pace,” says Julie Stowe, Junior School Teacher at Green Point Christian College in Kincumber, New South Wales.
Results
The goal of getting children tested, however, would not have much credibility if it weren’t for the stunning results. “I get wonderful responses from the kids that use the colored overlays says Tina Cutler, Program Manager (Social Worker) for Community and Employment Programs Group in Toronto, Ontario. "I can read, I feel smart!" "I can see the whole sentence." "The black dots are gone!" "The page is calmer!" "The letters have stopped moving!" These are just some of the affirming responses Tina has heard from students with colored overlays.
Meanwhile, Julie Yepson, a grade school teacher at Antioch school district 34 in Antioch, Illinois notices more students reading for pleasure whereas the same students didn't often like to read before using the overlays. “Three students that reported headaches when reading no longer have headaches and students that felt nauseous when reading no longer feel that way either,” add Yepsen. In fact, one student proclaimed, "Mrs. Yepsen, you have no idea how much this is going to help me!" upon receiving her overlays.
Tarena Berry, a counselor at Calvert Elementary School in Houston, Texas also trained to become an Irlen Screener, “Immediate results are seen,” says Berry. “When I took the training to become an Irlen Screener, I didn't realize what impact it would have. When I tested my first student, I could see at that moment how relevant and valuable the process is."
The overlays are just part of the ongoing solution, since reading is not only on the paper but in all facets of life. From computer screens to mobile phones to street signs, Irlen filters are typically the next step, allowing those who have struggled with words and letters to embrace the written and printed word and no longer struggle to read.
For more on Irlen Syndrome, visit www.irlen.com and/or pick up Helen Irlen’s latest book The Irlen Revolution.
Rich also recommends a very informative video done by a teenager who has Irlen Syndrome. Here' s an 8 minute glance into what it's like to live with Irlen Syndrome and the many ways to help manage the symptoms. Video by DavidAccola linked from YouTube.com.
It's no secret that this month Oprah is ending The Oprah Show after 25 years on air. Her final episodes include the lessons she's learned and her favorite and most influential guests. Her favorite guest of all time was a woman who overcame her painful circumstances and fulfilled her dreams. Dreams of which she wrote on a piece of paper, put in a tin, and buried under a rock where they'd remain for years and years. Dreams that included moving to America, getting an education, and receiving her PhD. When she went back to her hometown of Zimbabwe and dug up that tin, she could say that she met every single goal. And she fulfilled those dreams because she was told it was achievable.
Too often our desires are seen as unattainable. How many times do we make lists, or write down our goals, and it never gets farther than that piece of paper? Do you believe every one of your dreams is achievable?
As the school year comes to a close, and summer break begins, think about your achievements. Did you accomplish everything you wanted? What do you envision for the next school year? Don't just state your goals. Plan how you are going to fulfill them. Have your students do the same thing. It may sound silly, but have your students bury their dreams in their backyards. Let them go back a year from now and see just how much they can achieve when they strive to succeed.
When you see that you can accomplish what you set your mind to, the sky is the limit on what's considered achievable.
In addition to ever-changing technology and teaching methods in our classroom, our students are changing too. They are independent, adaptable, and tech-savvy. Their future career needs seem to carry higher stakes than they did 10 years ago. Besides their academic needs, behaviorally, students are evolving too. More and more, medical diagnoses such as ADHD, Tic Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Disorders, Autism Spectrum and Behavioral Disorders are becoming the norm in our classrooms. Teachers are burdened with test scores and keeping up with trends, as well as pressured to be equipped to handle and educate all types of personalities.
Jeff Branzburg - Director of Technology, NUA; education technology consultant, Teaching Matters, Inc; former teacher and instructional technology director - created a digital comic using bitstrips.com entitled Fit the Tool to the Job (Not the Job to the Tool).
Think about how many times you’ve encountered students who don’t fit into a certain perfect student mold? Have you noticed that the tools and methods you are using are not reaching that particular student? How do we make our current tools meet each student’s individual educational needs, instead of trying to get every student to learn the same way? It’s a daily challenge. One we should discuss with our peers, colleagues, and parents. One we should continue to improve. Our students need us. We can’t let those who learn differently slip through the cracks.
In business, it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure the needs of their customers are met efficiently and effectively. Example 1) Yesterday I was in Target and I needed batteries. The batteries were located in the Electronics section of the store. Coincidentally, the majority of interactive toys need batteries. Right beside the Electronics section, were rows and rows of toys. And beyond this Toy section was the Grocery section, where the candy was strategically placed right across from the toys. Efficiency and effectiveness is the name of the game. They had moved the battery section to meet the customer needs. Batteries are needed in toys, and candy attracts children. No running around the store to find the candy or the batteries or the groceries for that matter; everything in one spot so you just walk from one section to the next. And the owner can benefit from a parent giving into a child’s impulsive toy or candy desire every now and then.
Example 2) I ate at a Ruby Tuesday’s Restaurant recently. Times have changed as health and nutrition have evolved. People want smaller portions and healthier options, including myself. To fit into the customer needs, Ruby Tuesday's has adjusted its menu to provide nutritional values, healthier food choices, and the option of smaller portions. My food was cooked in the manner requested, as I asked for things to be left out and added. Ruby Tuesday’s was willing to prepare my food with flexibility, and they gained a satisfied customer who is willing to come back.
These two businesses are a lot like the business of education. Of course, education does not involve batteries or food. What is does involve, is effort. Effort is made to work effectively and efficiently within the needs of their customers (students). Many times I hear, “Well, I wasn’t taught that way and I learned just fine!” “I wasn’t taught with technology and I turned out alright!” Just as Ruby Tuesday’s and Target illustrate, school is not about the teacher (store owner) or what the teacher (store owner) wants or needs. It is about the children, our customers, and what they need. Evaluate students' requirements for success. Take a look at their needs, even if they are tech-related. Give them the tools to thrive and perform to their potential in an age where technology does rule. Take the time to not only become aware, but trained, in the technology tools that can give your customers – your students – a leg up in future careers. Think about their requirements in correlation to the tools and efficiency you provide. Analyze your effort. Do you run your classroom according to *your* needs, or according to your customer needs?
Google “the problem with our schools” and you will find roughly 300 MILLION links to click. Words like funding, charter, standards, private, public, test scores, mergers, no child left behind, economic status, and Superman are part of daily conversations. Individual experiences and situations motivate each response. One can say the fact that there is such an emotional force behind the conversations about school problems shows the passion for our children and our school systems. There is a river of frustration that winds itself throughout all of us in some way. We realize that in life there will almost certainly come bad with the good. Our children deserve the best education they can possibly get. So instead of letting our love of children be affected by the daily bitterness, let’s decide to work with the resources we have – no matter how few – and approach our children with confidence and reassurance.
Do you remember why we became educators? We weren’t thinking about standardized testing. It wasn’t about uniforms, bussing, race, or the ratio of teachers to students. It was about the love of learning; the love of children. It was about passing along the inspiration of hope. Educators provide one, if not the, most important resource to the world’s children: How to acquire KNOWLEDGE. That should get you going in the morning. That should keep a smile on your face.
Yes, you are one of those committed public servants that go out and buy pencils and supplies with your own money because you can’t get the simple resources you need to do your job. Yes, you are one of those amazing teachers who are willing to spend time before and after school to help students who are struggling to keep up. You may never get the official recognition you deserve for going above and beyond. Teachers are one of the most selfless, under-appreciated, professions in our society.
That being said, remember you may also be the one friend, mentor, or acting-parent to a child that needs hope. You may be the one person providing a means to something better. You are the one that believes in the child when others may have given up. You provide a hope that he or she can make it in what seems to be an increasingly bitter educational system.
There are others that affect the educational process. Parents should be held accountable. The administration definitely plays a key role. But you are the face students see day after day. You are the person they can count on to love them for who they are. You provide encouragement and pride in their abilities no matter what level they are climbing.
Turn the competitiveness and resentment towards the problems in our educational system into a reason to teach better. Nourish a positive attitude of bright futures and smiling faces inside your classroom. There are a lot of things within the educational system we can’t control. But we can control how we choose to face each day and each student.
And if you’re having a bad day or feeling disgusted with the politics of it all, remind yourself of this:
How children have an amazing way of making us smile.
How their imaginations, observations, and curiosity are truly genuine.
Think about the compliments children give us without ever asking for anything in return.
Think about those ah-hah moments when a child figures out they can read on their own and their face lights up with a smile; Or when a high school student gives a presentation to the class and gives you a look of accomplishment.
How encouragement, recognition, and love don't cost anything.
Teachers are always in need of classroom supplies, from large items like bookshelves to what you may think are simple items like pencils and paper. There are quite a few online donation sites, but these 3 I'm going to feature are ones that stood out to us.
Teachers sign up to create an account, log in, and enter in their classroom needs. They write a brief description of what their classroom needs and why. As a donor, you can look up almost any public or private school by name, city, state, or zip code and choose to whom you want to donate. There are advanced criteria as well, if you'd like to search by school subject, cost, poverty level, etc. When you are searching for a classroom, there are summaries on the left-hand side that tell you how many are registered in that area, how many have been adopted this year, adopted since 1998, and how many funds were donated this year and since 1998. You enter in your amounts and payment information online once you've chosen your classroom.
The teachers are given the money through an e-account and can purchase their wanted items through Adopt-A-Classroom’s affiliated vendors online. The items are shipped to them directly and become school property. Donors and teachers communicate during the school year, receiving thank you’s, artwork, and the opportunity to participate within the classroom you’ve chosen. You can donate to as many classrooms as you’d like.
Pros:
You have the option to donate to both public and private schools.
A donor has the opportunity to be active within the classroom and remain involved as long as he'd like.
There is no "actual dollar amount needed" that is defined in the classroom listing. So in theory, the teacher can raise as much as he or she'd like.
100% of your donation goes to the teacher.
Cons:
There is no type of teacher registration validation. There are terms and conditions you have to agree to, but no teacher verifiable agreement. Meaning anyone (theoretically) can claim to be a teacher at a particular school and type up a "need" for donation money.
There is a minimum donation of $25.00 to any classroom.
There is no posting date. The only date that we saw was the donations since 1998 status on the left-hand side. Once you find a classroom listing, who's to say how old the posting is, if the teacher is still in need of money, or if they're checking the listing/email address currently? It was a bit confusing. Postings don't seem to "close" or appear "fulfilled."
As opposed to other sites, there is no pre-order form in their classroom posting. They simply describe what they'd like to buy. You can't see the specific items desired, the cost, nor vendor information up front. So a donor can't be exactly sure what the teacher is going to purchase until the money is given and his or her order is placed. The one thing you can be sure of is that it will be school materials-related because you know it's being purchased from only Adopt-A-Classroom's vendors.
The process is similar to above. Teachers create accounts and post their "projects" online. Donors can "view projects" a number of ways. A clear list of recent projects comes up when you click on the "Projects" tab. There are also advanced criteria searches on the right, where you can choose by city/state, school, subject, poverty level, urgency, popularity, and beyond. Can't decide who to donate to? There is a feature that allows you to donate to the most urgent project, chosen by DonorsChoose. In contrast to the Adopt-A-Classroom's description of a teacher's class needs, DonorsChoose requires each project be specific. When a teacher posts a need, they must place their order up front similar to a grant, so that the posting shows the items, their cost, the quantity desired, and where the teacher is buying it from, all in the project listing. Any donor can see a total dollar amount needed to complete the teacher's request.
As donors submit money, you can visually see the total dollars earned and the remaining balance left in order to complete the project. When the goal is met, teachers go to donorschoose.org's online store of affiliated vendors and place their order online. The materials are shipped and become school property. The donor is sent pictures, thank you's, and letters in correspondence to keep him or her updated. The project is closed.
Pros:
There is no minimum donation.
You must agree to their conditions and terms for teacher/project enrollment and confirm you meet the teacher requirements. You can not be a principal, administrator, staff developer, substitute, or student teacher and must work full time.
The projects are very specific and in a sense pre-ordered, so you can see the exact items that will be purchased with your donation.
The website is very user friendly and easy to navigate.
The option to donate to the site as a whole for the most urgent projects is a cool feature if you can't narrow down your choice.
There are a lot of extras on this site - from wedding registries and birthday wishes to blogs and honoree donations.
Cons:
This website only applies to public schools. If you are a private school you can not register.
Remember: You must be a full time teacher. Principals, administrators, staff developers substitute and student teachers are not permitted to create projects. Therefore a poster's qualifications are limited.
This is another donor/classroom supporter site, using the same technique to search for a classroom/teacher wish list through a criteria search. HOWEVER, it encompasses a whole lot more when it comes to providing classroom assistance. You have the ability to do quite a few things with this site.
1.) As a teacher, school, or district - you can create a wish list. Every teacher gets their own homepage and web address. Shop through iloveschools’ online store to find the items you need and quantity and build your list. Your “order” is published so that donors can view the item, quantity, and cost. You get the same dollars donated vs. balance left visual as DonorsChoose. When the wishlist has been funded, iLoveSchools places the order and has the goods delivered. 2.) Be a classroom friend and create a web page for your school or class. This is a really great way to get the word out about your needs. 3.) Post a donor offer. This is a wonderful way to recycle goods and fulfill classroom needs all at the same time. Have gently used or new items you don't need? Post a donor offer on iLoveSchools with a description, estimated value, delivery option, and contact information. Get responses from schools in need and neighboring districts. You get to choose who to pass the donation to. Everyone wins! 4.) Can't decide which project you like the best? You can donate to ILoveSchools two ways: a) donate XX amount of dollars to a teacher/classroom iLoveSchools selects, or b) donate directly to iLoveSchools to help them cover administrative costs.
Pros:
In contrast to DonorsChoose, the qualifications of applicants who want to register and create wish lists are defined by a wide range of titles, from homeschool parents to librarians for grades pre-K through 12th. Also included are after school program staff as long as they follow specific curriculum.
We love all of the different options on iLoveSchools and its user friendly site, including a blog that keeps people informed.
The donor offer feature is a wonderful way to re-gift and provide assistance to our educators.
According to their site, they have an option coming soon where you can print flyers about your wish list for another way to publicize the need.
Both public and private schools can post wish lists.
Cons:
It can be difficult to find the feature that actually allows someone to create and start a wish list. Put your mouse on the "home" tab in the top task bar. Slide your mouse down to the last topic titled "educators" and click to get started.
Donations of money or supplies are always helpful to an educator, especially in the current economy and budgeting crisis within school systems. Parents may often wonder, well how can I really help? Or how can a pack of crayons really make much of a difference? These sites prove it does take a village, and your support can help provide a better educational experience for our kids!
Internet4Classrooms is always working to provide educators, parents, and students with the most useful online tools for your schooling needs. We are thrilled to offer a new, free, interactive ACT/SAT study program that will help students prepare for the ACT Tests and SAT Tests.
The concept is this: Each student gets a free account, with a log in name and password, alongside a designated mentor (a teacher or parent). Once logged in, students gain access to 5000 SAT and ACT vocabulary words. They can take online vocabulary quizzes as often as they’d like. Daily and monthly vocabulary lists provide a study guide. There are diagnostic practice tests as well as tips on how to study and master definitions. Students can retake quizzes and see which words they missed.
Summary reports and test scores will be emailed to the addresses you provide. Students will get a daily result guide, showing them previous scores, words to study next, and future tests to take. Mentors will get a weekly report with the ability to choose from a drop-down menu to select any student’s progress you would like to view.
The process is easy. Go to the sign up page and create an account. Each student must enter in a mentor's information. As a mentor, it’s best to create an email account just for this service. Gmail.com and Hotmail.com offer free accounts.
Once you have created an email address, give your first and last name, and the new email address to your students. Each student must sign up by entering in their name and their email address. Select their grade level. They will enter in your information as their mentor. Both you and the student will get a confirmation email with password. You are ready to begin!
Did you know you can actually find almost any essay or paper topic online, and access it for a low fee if not for free? Students' workloads are heavier than ever. Tack on extracurricular activities and socializing, and homework time always seems to be crunched. We all love a good time-saving tip, but does going online to retrieve a pre-written paper take things a bit too far - especially when the service is not used properly? How can teachers be sure a student actually wrote their submitted work?
There are a lot of online resources in this topic. Today we'll be featuring these 3.
OPPapers.com - "Free term papers and essays for all" is what the website's slogan says. Anyone can browse from over 250,000 essays and articles by simply typing in the content you are searching for. You get a 2 paragraph freebee and then purchase longer ones or essentially pay for a membership and have access. Standard membership is 30 day a month all-access for $19.95. The premise is this: they are providing you with information about these topics, serving as a research aid, and you are supposed to be responsible enough to cite the sources, take the initial jump-start they've provided and finish/elaborate your own work. Members are able to share and see each other's papers as well.
In addition to finding essays and papers, you can click on another tab that will take you to this site:
WriteMyEssay.com - Here's what you do. Type in your paper's assignment and needs in full detail. Assign how many words you need it to be, how many sources, and how many pages. You can choose your deadline as to when you need WriteMyEssay to complete this project, and essentially pay by need. So if you need your paper in 5 days, it'll cost you $19.95 per page. For the procrastinator: if you need your paper within 8 hours, it'll cost you $79.95 per page. The company provides a free bibliography, guaranteed completion, and free revision if the paper doesn't match what you needed.
Did you ever think 15 years ago you could get this kind of service!? And there are dozens more - writeworks.com, planetpapers.com, research-assistance.com, and on. These sites can be extremely useful. But in the wrong hands, extremely dangerous when it comes to plagiarism. Teachers need to be diligent and aware. The Internet is a world of resources at our fingertips, but at what cost when it comes to educating and training our children to become successful down the road.
There are sites that strive to ensure sites like these aren't abused.
Turnitin.com - Going on the mantra: "Prevent Plagiarism. Engage Students." This site offers wonderful tools to ensure students are working up to their potential and writing original pieces. It is specifically designed to prevent plagiarism by offering something called "originality check." Students must submit their writings using the Turnitin interface. Teachers can then compare the submission to over 130,000 student papers, and web pages. Instructors share papers with other students and peers can review and comment. When a teacher goes to grade the paper online, you can type in your feedback and revisions and also use colorful grade-marking and highlighting tools.
Now of course -- this is something your school would have to purchase. Quotes are given based on your school and your needs. But we wanted to point out the concept and the fact that there are methods of preventing plagiarism submissions. At the bare minimum, you are now informed of the free sites above, and can go online to search yourself if you want to compare writings in question.
And because we know not every school is equipped to purchase such software, here are some FREE teaching tactics to preventing plagiarism:
Give a very narrow criteria for your subject matter.
Vary the topics per class and year, and save submitted works.
Require students to turn in multiple rough drafts.
Students can be told to photocopy their sources.
Require the sources to be very specific - like something published in the last year, or from a specific book that you assign. Or you can even say all sources must have been published within the last 4 years.
Make your students give oral reports.
Have students email you copies of their work in addition to turning in a hard copy.
Be sure to discuss, define, and explain what plagiarism is.
Be stern and reiterate the consequences should plagiarism be discovered.
People will do what they want to do, and take shortcuts they want to take. So arm yourself with knowledge, continue the parental involvement and parent-teacher communication, and continue to encourage and show students they have the ability to complete tasks and meet goals all on their own.
The Internet is a never-ending database of resources for anyone searching for basically anything. Everyone has their top lists, which usually vary monthly as trends change, new tools are developed, and web sites evolve. So we'll say for the month of December, here are 10 useful websites for teachers and students (in no particular order):
1. Tube Chop - YouTube.com is a huge online portal to any and every video imaginable. Just search by topic. While it can be highly inappropriate for some things, it can also serve as a great tool when used in the right way. Teachers can find ways to illustrate concepts, projects, subjects, and more. A partner to You Tube, Tube Chop allows you to edit and "chop" any You Tube video, to make it acceptable for your students and parents to watch. In addition to security, it can also be used as a time saver, shortening a clip to maybe just the phrase or comment you are discussing in your class, especially when reviewing a speech. Copy the video from YouTube and paste the link in TubeChop, then follow the simple instructions.
2. Futureme,org - Send yourself an email and select the date you want to receive it. What you type in the email is up to you. This can be extremely useful for reminders to yourself and students. Students can email themselves notes, assignment or test reminders, monthly goals, or even year-end goals, like grade expectations. Use it as a vocabulary word tool and refresher. The possibilities are endless.
3. Lit2Go - A huge list of authors and their works. Click on the author you are looking for (organized by alphabet). See a short summary of their biography and then options for accessing the actual book you'd like to read. You can download the book via audio, in PDF, and more. Most books are segmented by chapters. Students can read the actual work online and teachers can see the standards met when using this material.
4. Super Kids Math Worksheet Creator - This is a free math sheet creator. Click the types of problems you need and your math worksheet will be ready in minutes. You can choose how many problems per page, and the subject level from basic to advanced in each category. It's great for teachers and parents to continue math drills and help at home.
5. Cells Alive - An interactive gallery of biology topics with definition, cycle explanations, and illustrations. Students can search in cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and microscopy. The animations are informative and the facts are explained in direct and simple ways of understanding.
6. Social Studies for Kids - A really comprehensive site of links to all things social studies and history. They offer changing fact sheets on the week in history, current events, and featured spotlights. Teachers can find book reviews on social studies topics, educational games by subject, maps, history, presidents, states, time, and so much more.
7. Word Smyth - An easy vocabulary word quiz maker. Free access allows you to use 15 words in your quiz question. Choose from children's, beginner, or advanced levels.
8. Why Files - This site provides a collection of online interactive science projects and concepts from making a snowflake and a rainbow to playing with lightning and controlling a tornado. There are well-written explanations of the science behind each concept.
9. Snag Learning - Educational videos by subject and grade level from K - college. Subjects including everything from children's programming and music to world culture and political science. Videos are provided by channels like National Geographic, PBS, and Sundance.
10. AlgeBasics - A great site for algebra tutorials and help on a long list of topics ranging from basics to ratios, factoring, linear equations, and radicals. If you click on a topic you will get an audio tutorial as well as a visual of the problem being solved.
We hope you found these useful. Internet4Classrooms strives to find the best online resources for educational use. And we'll continue to search as technology and classroom needs keep changing. Let us know if you have a favorite site of your own!
The Importance of Journal and Blog Writing with Students
When you walk into an empty classroom, what do you see? Desks, chairs, books, chalkboards, maybe a couple of computers. But what you don't see is the pressure. Teachers are pressured to meet scores and standards. Parents are pressured to raise the perfect students and to have the means to provide endless resources for their children. Students are pressured to make good grades, participate in school activities, be popular. As we've seen this past month focusing on bullying, we know school can be a pressure cooker for all kinds of emotions. Along with utilizing school resources like counselors and the community of parents and teachers, writing can serve as a key tool in just letting it all out!
Students often see writing as a chore. "O.k. kids, it's time to write in our journals today," the teacher might say. "Awwww!!" reply the children. But what they don't realize, is there are huge advantages to expressing themselves on paper (or keyboard depending on the resources).
A Communication Outlet
Writing allows us to express our thoughts out loud - but not really. Students can tell what they are feeling without having to necessarily face someone. They can talk about interests, goals, their likes and dislikes. When you write an idea down, and elaborate on it, you are emptying your head. And when students can empty their heads on a daily basis, the pressures don't have as much opportunity to build.
Stress Reliever
Once the writing is complete, and their heads are "empty," their work can act as a huge stress reliever. Writing allows students to reflect. They can go back, read how they were feeling the day before, or read about something that made them feel confident a week ago. When students write, they are providing themselves a way to analyze their thoughts, figure out what is going on, and move forward. It's a great problem solving tool.
Skill Builder
Writing enhances skills all across the board. Grammar, writing, reading, researching, proofreading, and on and on. When a student sits down to write, it's not just simply writing on a particular subject assigned by a teacher. Students are researching subjects, practicing English skills, proofing and editing their work, and communicating in a way that they expect everyone who's reading to understand. They are learning how to get their points across. They are learning how to cite sources. They are learning how to improve their skills daily without even knowing it, because constant writing keeps the mind sharp.
Idea Tracker
We know that students can be so creative! Yet they can be so busy as well. Writing, even if it's simply jotting down notes, allows them to remember things for later. Whether it be an essay idea, paper topic, or homework question, the act of keeping their ideas in one place adds confidence and offers another outlet for improving English skills.
Confidence Booster
Writing takes creativity. Students have to think, research, edit, build sentences, and communicate. When their writing assignment is complete, and they can go back and read what they wrote, it's a huge self-esteem booster. Confidence is especially achieved in the case of a blog, where the audience is not just fellow students or teachers. Students have the opportunity to feel validated when people across the globe can comment and relate to their ideas and feelings.
Whether students are writing or typing their content, it is saved. The work will be there whenever they want to go back and read it. There is a record of what's been created. Knowing "I did this," provides a sense of accomplishment. Students need that now, more than ever.
How do you incorporate writing into your classroom instruction? Do you find it valuable? Do you find it difficult to get students to find their creativity?
Internet4Classrooms has a wide range of writing resources and language arts tools. Check us out if you are looking for ideas and information. We'd love to hear from you!
A blog (termed after web log) is a web site - that you create easily and for free - where you can share homework assignments, class summaries, images, links, test and quiz alerts, and any other information you'd like to get out to your students and parents. When you have something to say, you type in a post. It's dated, time stamped, and published for anyone that you've allowed access. Every post is saved, and archived, with the entries being listed from most recent to oldest. You and your readers can email and comment on each post. Sounds easy enough, right? Still not sold on the idea? Here’s why you should be:
Blogs Allow Flexibility
Today’s lives are hectic. Some students don’t get home until way after dinner time between sports practices and activities. Families are multi-dimensional. It can be difficult for everyone to be on the same page when shuffling back and forth, traveling, etc. Children have absences. But if you have a classroom blog, there leaves little room for excuses.
If you have a classroom blog, your parents and students can rely on the web for information. It gives them the comfort and flexibility of working at their own paces. No more, “I couldn’t find the assignment.” No more, “But it was too late and I couldn’t call anyone to find out the information.” No more, “I wasn’t here yesterday so I didn’t get the notice.” School doesn’t stop when the bell rings.
Blogs Encourage Dialogue
With a classroom blog, you allow your students and parents to connect with you, each other, and even other teachers. Say you post a math assignment, and Suzie has a question. She can email you privately, or write her question in the comments section of that post. Not only do you have the opportunity to respond, but so do all of her classmates. They feel involved. You feel involved. You are creating a dialogue. You are allowing collaboration.
Blogs Improve Communication
With this dialogue, you provide an outlet for students to improve on their communication. Students will have an opportunity to write to you and each other. By typing questions and responses among teachers and peers, they are gaining communication skills. Think of it as an online journal. They are learning how to illustrate their thoughts on “paper,” in order to be understood by multiple readers. It’s one more tool to communicate their ideas more effectively.
Blogs Motivate Students
Using the confidence in their communication, you encourage students to look beyond one right answer. The conversations motivate them to go find more information, find more sources, and ask more questions. It could start with one simple topic then grow into an elaborate discussion about everything behind that topic. Students want to find the answer and share the knowledge with their peers. Students want to feel confident in their abilities. They want to succeed. Motivation encourages involvement, which can lead to accountability, which can lead to higher test scores.
Teachers and students are officially in school mode now. Time management and classroom organization for both parents and teachers can be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
For Teachers:
With all the tasks teachers have to tackle on a daily basis, it's imperative to have the knowledge that can help you stay on target for the year's goals. Internet4Classrooms has many tips and resources to ensure you stay organized and focused.
Parents strive to give their children the best environment and tools to succeed, but often lack good resources or simply the time to find them. Internet4Classrooms is here to help! One of the biggest challenges for parents is homework, homework, homework. Some children are big procrastinators. Some children find the work so overwhelming that it's easier for them to just avoid it altogether. We all know it takes a lot of effort to make good grades all year long. If you're feeling removed or unsure of how your child approaches homework as a whole, try this exercise first to learn the best way to achieve assignment goals.
Once you've got your homework environment created and a routine in place, homework time can become an orderly system for both parents and children. Start with good study habits, training them to be more aware of how their minds work. A child's attention span can wander very easily. Teach concentration tactics on how to focus, learning how to remain dedicated to school work by taking scheduled breaks and offering grade incentives. After study habits are established, studying methods can be introduced, such as creating an index card system. If your students master these tools mentioned, then test taking help can complete the puzzle of eliminating stress and anxiety in your child's school days.
As a main resource, parents and teachers can go here for tips on everything from researching and paper writing, to communication, reading advanced materials, spelling help and assignment completion methods. Patience and persistence will definitely encourage success for all of your goals: organizationally, administratively, and beyond.
In a world where laptops, social networking, texting, and phones with Internet access are the norm, parents may find themselves in the dark when it comes to technology and their children’s technology use. Gone are the days where the majority of households have a large collection of encyclopedias organized by letters cramming their bookshelves. Now you can sit at a computer, type in what you need, and a world of information is literally at your fingertips.
Although there are obvious dangers when allowing kids to access the web without proper monitoring, there are tremendous advantages as well. For this blog, we’ll focus on the Internet as a whole, and discuss safe search engines specifically for students.
First and foremost, you want to make sure your children are using trustworthy and accurate resources. Common sites like Google and Ask.com have a huge amount of information. However you need to be careful what you click on. Make sure to read the website addresses before going to them. Sites like Wikipedia.org have a lot of material, however the information isn’t verified. Anyone can post on a particular topic.
When you are searching, make sure to type in keywords. If you’re not using a site where you can enter in the full question, you’ll need to narrow down the words you use. If you want the engine to look for a particular phrase, put it in quotations. For example: “civil war battlefields” instead of civil war or “middle school math” instead of just math. Most search engines have an advanced link button, where you can limit your topics even further.
Finally, teach your students the importance of acknowledging the sources they’ve used. The Internet offers a mountain of information, but remember the material has been written by someone else. Happy searching!
As the 2010-2011 school year begins, now is a great time to review our basic resources on Internet Safety. More and more children are going online through their mobile devices, including phones, iPods, eReaders, in schools and at home. Due to the multiple ways of accessing the internet, it is getting more difficult to block sites from children's view. Therefore, the keys to online safety are being aware of childrens' online activities and teaching children to exercise good judgement online. This is especially true when it comes to behavior on social media sites.
Click Here for our Internet Safety Resources, which includes articles, videos, and games for children to play to learn about staying safe on the internet. In our Character Education Resources, we've included grade-appropriate resources on bullying and cyberbullying to help teachers and parents address this topic, as it is becoming more prevalent on social media sites, especially for middle and high school aged students.
As a reminder, please don't forget to visit our Back to School section, which has been expanded this year with more materials for teachers and families.
Please send us any resources that you may have found on this topic, so that we can share them on the site.
We'll send you daily vocabulary lists, Latin phrases, math and science activities, "This Day in History" and other fun, engaging activities to keep your mind working over the summer.
Internet4Classrooms.com is pleased to announce that we are expanding our ADD/ADHD resources to include articles from experts in this field. We hope that you find this information valuable for use in your home and classrooms.
Internet4Classrooms has put together a free summer learning plan for every age level from Pre-K through High School.
On a daily and weekly basis, we will provide students and parents fun activities, links to great learning games, and other educational resources that will help them get ready for the 2010-2011 school year.
We feel that summer learning loss is a major concern.
Did you know that on average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during the summer months?
Research shows that teachers typically spend between 4 to 6 weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.
We've designed this program to keep students engaged in educational activities.
Write Your Representative Today or Face No Enhancing Education Through Technology Program Funding Next Year
President Obama's proposed budget for FY2011 eliminates funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program, the sole direct federal educational technology funding resource, and proposes to consolidate education technology in its proposal for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization. In lieu of a separately funded ed tech program like EETT program, President Obama has proposed in vague terms to infuse technology throughout all federal education programs. We can't let this happen.
Check out this presentation from Steve Dembo, Online Community Manager for the Discovery Educator Network.
He presented last week at the Palm Beach County School District Technology Conference. His high-energy presentation showed live demos of the different tools and created a lot of excitement among the attendees.
In further blog posts, we'll show you how educators and creative thinkers are using these tools.
While Internet4Classrooms is known for providing the best online resources to teach students of all grades and subjects, here is a simple project for parents and teachers that doesn't require a computer or an internet connection.
"We're All the Same Inside" - this is a lesson plan that has been used for years. This link is to the preschool version, but it is appropriate for all ages.
Supplies needed: some eggs and an open mind
Have children decorate the eggs and give them different color skin (or mix brown and white eggs), hair, and features. Then crack open the eggs. They are all the same inside!
Sometimes the simplest lessons are the easiest to teach.
We've heard stories of children doing this lesson in school and then showing it to their parents at home.
Feel free to share with us any other simple projects that illustrate diversity.
Today I sat in my son's Pre-K classroom during circle time and the teachers spoke to the children regarding the tragedy in Haiti. They explained that there was an earthquake that destroyed many homes and that many people are hurt and in need of food and shelter.
Let us know what you will be working on in your classrooms during January and February. We want to provide you with specific resources to fit your needs that you can upload to your teacher blog.
Teacher Blog? We can help you create one. Stay tuned for our January and February Newsletters for our Technology Focus on enabling teachers to connect with students via a blog.
We've just returned from the Mid-South Technology Conference. The speakers were very thought provoking on a variety of topics, and I'd like to share some of the ideas with you. Tinkering
Have we lost a connection to learning through child’s play? When we think back to how we learned as children, wasn’t it hands-on trial and error for a lot of things? John Seely Brown, the Independent Co-Chairman of the Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation, describes this as "Tinkering". Pulling things apart and then putting them back together in various ways, learning what works and what doesn’t, talking with teammates about different ways to connect things to create a new entity.
All of the above is Web 2.0. transferring ideas, remixing, experimenting, participating, interacting, explaining things to each other, creating, sharing, integrating with others’ ideas. By setting up collaborative groups and incorporating the curriculum topics of the day, students can experience this type of learning through free tools on the Internet.
Here are some resources that Internet4Classrooms.com would like to share with you:
VoiceThread is an excellent choice for a beginning class project. The students insert pictures, either drawn or by digital camera, and insert voice to explain the pictures. These can be shared with parents, students, or the world! They can also be made private so just friends can view it.
xtranormal is a more advanced piece of moviemaking software. They can create an animated movie about the topic of study and share it.
Hall Davidson, from Discovery Education Network, also mentioned at the conference that we are living in a non-linear world with digital resources. Students interact with these resources to gather information and "remix" them in their minds. New technologies are critical part of this learning age and the stand-alone method of read/discuss/write doesn’t work anymore.
To summarize, by using web 2.0 tools that are free on the internet, we can help students achieve "tinkering" skills they will need in the 21st century. They are not only consumers of information on the Internet, but also become producers of information from which others may learn.
We receive correspondence from parents and teachers worldwide on a variety of topics. One topic that is of concern to both parents and teachers is homework. While Internet4Classrooms.com is a great resource for learning, parents must provide their children with the necessary support and structure, so that they can complete their assignments at home.
Here is a great resource for parents that clearly spells out a plan for helping your child succeed.
How to Help - Showing that You Think Education and Homework are Important
How to Help - Monitor Assisgnements
How to Help - Provide Guidance
How to Help - Talk with Someone at School to Resolve Problems
It also includes a Checklist for Helping your Child with Homework.
Remember, if you are doing your child's homework or struggling to get him/her to complete assignments, you are not alone, and there are resources to help manage this available to you.
Founders Susan Brooks and Bill Byles are dedicated to providing the best educational resources on the web for Pre-K through 12 educators, parents and students of all ages. The website also contains tutorials and guides for using common technologies both in and out of the classroom.
