Classtools.net. Techie Site of the Week

 

Do you want to get your students hooked on their academics while playing games?  Classtools.net is a unique, free, educational gaming site which allows teachers to create games using their own quizzes, activities and diagrams.  Free Flash templates can be used as is,  or may be customized to create interactive games and activities in multiple formats from a single set of 10-25 questions and answers on any given topic.  As the student progresses in completing each level, the speed and difficulty of play increases.  Timelines, diagrams, graphic organizer tools, and essay planning tools,  appropriate for every grade level are offered and easily accessed.

This website can be used for review of material or to reinforce concepts and test preparation.  Older students can make their own games to give to younger siblings:)  Endless ideas for gaming youngsters!

Watch this Youtube video to learn how to make your own game.

Blessings to you as you share in your student's "fun" factor in learning, and encourage them to be techie!

Pippa

Digital Identity

Image by Anyaka via Flickr
Are you concerned about how you are presented online?  Have you googled yourself to see what others are writing about you?  How much information do you like your students,  and children to present when they are online?  This UBC Digital Tattoo website shares some of the pro's and cons of being on the internet and how to protect yourself. Take a quizz and see if you are doing a good job of presenting yourself on the net.

Blessings
Pippa

Related articles

• Wave of the Future: Trusted Identities In Cyberspace (nytimes.com)
• Can you disappear on the Web? (holykaw.alltop.com)
• Virtual Identities (we-make-money-not-art.com)
• New Services Let You Choose To Either Hide Your Digital Identity... Or Show It Off (socialtimes.com)

SchoolTube - Do The Quad Solve (WSHS Math Rap Song)

SchoolTube - Do The Quad Solve (WSHS Math Rap Song)

Twitter for the Uninitiated!

Image via Wikipedia

So you are using Facebook, and maybe you have started your blog and have figured out all the technical aspects, and consider yourself a professional posting and updating your profile:)  Well, the good news is that Twitter is even easier to use, and YOU are going to LOVE the professional aspects of staying current in your line of work.  I started using Twitter on a regular basis about 6 months ago, and at first could not get my head around who to follow, how to search for "likeminded Pippa's", and how to stay on top of all the TWEETS or names like "hashtag", which as my son says should be banned!:)

At the recent Christian Educators Symposium in Vancouver, I was unable to attend, but I enjoyed being part of the larger network of Christian educational leaders sharing via Twitter, the impacts of 21 century learning.  Twitter became an outlet for me to share my views, make new friends online, and increase my personal learning network.  

 Here is a How to use Twitter from Howcast.com

Once you are tweeting you will also enjoy retweeting what others have to say, by clicking on the retweet button when an astute quote or link comes your way.  If you want to retweet a quote in your own words then install the extension Retweet Old School.  

To find out more about Twitter vocabulary(which is pretty hip!) go to Techak.  By the way you are not a TWIT if you use Twitter, but rather a TWEETER.  Go figure- I like twit better:)

Then the last step once you have conquered Facebook and Twitter is to sign up for Trunk.ly.  This "automagically collects the links you share online ... and makes them searchable." Now my Facebook, blog and Twitter links are stored and shared for eternity.  WOW!! Well until some new appie takes over and makes this appie outdated.

Will I ever stay on top of all the new information?  With God's help, I am learning, learning and learning.  Come learn with me and sign up for Twitter and add me:  Pippa Davies or join my Facebook for Christian Teachers and share your links and views. See logo and link on my blog wall.

As a teacher librarian I can stay on top of all the literacy, homeschooling, Christian and digital technology news in an instant!  LOVE it!

For more information on Twitter and Trunk.ly go to the following:

Related articles

• Twitter Enhanced Email Notification (shoutmeloud.com)
• Twitter Confirms TweetDeck Acquisition: It's All About The Power Users (techcrunch.com)
• Twitter now sending email notification for Retweets and Favourites (theinformativereport.com)
• Twitter Tool or Gimmick? (terrywhalin.blogspot.com
• Trunk.ly (philbradley.typepad.com)
• Trunk.ly: Manage Your Social Media Links (bloggingot.com)

Blessings to you and see you on Twitter:)
Pippa

Thank you God!

Image via Wikipedia
Some days I feel like I cannot smell the roses, I drag my weary body around, complaining, judging others, and generally finding fault with the world.  Those days are the pits you see, because the enemy would love to have me stay in my quagmire, laugh at my misfortune, and throw stones at my misdeeds.

However God you have shown me again this week that true faithfulness comes not in physical gifts, but in answers to prayer.  You have blessed me in so many numerous ways, there are too many to remember them all.  Here are just a few.

1. Thank you Lord for answering prayer with my accident in the States.  You provided in so many ways.
No serious injuries.
ICBC coming through!
Wonderful fire and police officials who helped with love and understanding, and even cheered on the Canucks as we left the scene.
Our car which valiantly made it over the border in one piece. 
My sweet loving husband who held my hand, and stayed at my side for 8 hours as I waited for a CT scan.
Loving kids who made me endless cups of tea!
My super friends and family who sent messages of love, prayer and support.  Facebook and Twitter rocks!
My wonderful HCOS homeschooling parents, and teachers who ministered in prayer and community to me.
My amazing physiotherapist who is kind, gentle and healing.
You gave me PEACE!

2.  God you intervened again 2 days later ,when my truck blew a tire on the road coming back from the doctor.   
You provided a safe perfect place for me to park my car in someones driveway.
You sent a wonderful rescue neighbour who changed my tire, whilst his wife and daughter kept me company, and quietened my heart.
You gave me PEACE.

 3.  God you provided for me when I could not attend a conference this weekend.
You made me rest and enjoy my garden and family.
You provided live webinars so I felt like I was part of some of the conference, and you allowed me to share via tweet backchat.
You provided new friends and community and made me feel part of a larger Christian community.
You gave me PEACE.

Do you ever feel like God has really answered your prayers.  Join me in thankfulness:)

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Blessings to you.
Pippa

Survival of the most cooperative?

Survival of the most cooperative?

Do you agree?

Stop Motion Learning Camp. Canadian Pacific Railroad.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Matt going on a learning camp to Port Moody Museum where they learned how to make stop motion movies.  After an hour of CPR  history on British Columbia, an excited group of about 25 students ranging in age from grade 3 up to grade 9, produced their own stop motion celebration of learning. They were guided in the process by the museum leader and Bill Marsh, one of our teachers in the lower mainland.

When I checked Matt's history after the event he could relate the whole story back to me, with excellent memory for small details.  Talk about hands on learning!  Praise God for interactive, artistic, communicative group learning.  Did I say TECHIE:)


Blessings to you as you enjoy learning  Stop Motion animation.

Pippa

June Library Links

Image by daniel doman via Flickr

As Vancouver emerges from it's chrysalid, with the beautiful blossoms of spring, we can enjoy the warmth of outdoors and gardening, celebrate Father's Day and get ready for Canada Day.  And if those 'nucks' come through we will have a double celebration.  But for those rainy days here are some of my latest finds beyond Google!

BIBLE  and EDUCATIONAL GAMES

Adventures in Odyssey.  Catch up on the radio show and listen to podcasts.


AdventureBible is a Beta, Zondervan production that teaches students more about the Bible whilst playing games.  This safe and interactive site allows you to use a variety of online resources to customize lesson plans for your class, post assignments and track student progress.


Club Penguin   This older Disney online game encourages global citizenship and safe online play.
Free subscription entitles you to basic play and your child will have filtered chat and live moderators.  Access to special features requires a membership.
For more Disney games go to their official website. 


Professor Garfield. For ages 7 and up these games offer educational content.  "Garfield the cat is at his best. He's the resident "edu-cat-or" on a jazzy spaceship. Robots help you decide which activities to try first. You might drop by the "Art-Bot" to watch videos on how to draw Garfield and other animals. Garfield's creator, Jim Davis, inspires budding cartoonists with his upbeat tutorials. "G-Cubed" is an addictive multiplayer trivia game. Smaller kids will like a visit to "Orson's Farm" to have some fun with rhyming words." Commonsense Media.


SCIENCE

ScienceWith Me! is a free educational science website for elementary age children. Their website offers science movies and songs, free science coloring sheets, free science worksheets, fun science projects for kids and stories to help young children learn scientific principles and science the fun way.  Thanks to Amber for sharing:)

The Jason Project   
 

Are you looking for a way to connect your students with great explorers and great events in Science? You do not have to look any further than The Jason Project! Their free online curriculum is designed primarily for the middle grades but can be adapted to fit any grade level.

Healthline Body Maps

BodyMaps is an interactive visual search tool that allows users to explore the human body in 3-D. With easy-to-use navigation, users can search multiple layers of the human anatomy, view systems and organs down to their smallest parts, and understand in detail how the human body works. 

Image via Wikipedia

 


LANGUAGE ARTS

Little House on the Prairie by Garden of Praise  comes with lots of teaching suggestions, lessons, tests and biography.  Website is maintained by a retired teacher.        

       

TECHIE TOOLS.       

Creative Commons. 

Here you will find all the resources needed to learn appropriate use of Creative Commons licensing for written, graphic and multimedia content.         

     

Beatlab is a cool music making application which music fundi's can have fun making catchy tunes. It is not a professional synthesizer, so take it for the fun aspects of a beginner learning on a synthesizer, while playing with widgets.  

                   

 Symbaloo is basically a personal online desktop, which helps users in managing favorite sites and services.   Instead of saving your links in your browser or bookmarking site you can add pretty tiles to your desktop for immediate retrieval.  Thanks Aneta for sharing:)       

                debategraph  Are you seeking diverse perspectives, interpretations or new understandings of topics and issues impacting our world? Join debategraph, a browser based, wiki-style site, where students can synthesize, evaluate, expand, collaborate, and give their own thoughts and ideas to both sides of the issues . 

  Bannersnack  is a cool way of making banners to advertise or promote your website.  If you scroll down my blog page you will see I have added a banner to advertise our school library.  It is fun, easy to use and looks good!                

Blessings to you as you enjoy our long awaited BEAUTIFUL spring!            

Pippa