September 3, 2010
BY CHRISTOPHER PANNA
Often when we ask students to read, we want them to pick out key words or organize the text into categories. VocabGrabber is a powerful tool that helps do just that: organize, analyze, and understand a reading.
Simply paste the text and click the button marked (you guessed it) “Grab Vocabulary!” This generates a word cloud of the most frequently used terms. Clicking a word shows its definition and an example of how it’s used in the passage.
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September 2, 2010
BY KEVIN HODGSON
My StoryMaker is the perfect tool for younger students just learning about plot design and character development for short stories. Hosted by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, My StoryMaker walks students through the process of story creation using a variety of online tools.
My StoryMaker requires no login other than a first name. Kids choose a main character from a limited menu of possibilities, pick what they want that character to be doing (on a rescue mission? Finding love?) and then designate which secondary character is also involved in the story. These steps are laid out in a very basic, easy-to-use method. The story editor then launches and, in a nice touch, there is an audio tutorial matching up with the text tutorial on the next steps.
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September 1, 2010
BY DAN FROELICH
Have you ever found yourself telling a fellow educator, “I don’t have that file with me, but I’d be glad to email it to you when I get home tonight”? With the aid of Dropbox, you’ll never have to say that again.
Dropbox is a web service that allows you to store up to two gigabytes of data online for free. Simply get an account with Dropbox, download and install the application, and place the files you want to store on the web into Dropbox, and you’re done. Now any time you save files in your Dropbox, they are automatically synced online and on your computer. Better yet, once you install the Dropbox application on any computer or mobile device you own, you‘ll have instant access to all your files with a simple login.
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August 31, 2010
BY JASON DON FORSYTHE
It’s a fact that some video games have been shown to have beneficial effects for developing minds. The merger of video games and educational instruction has been coming for quite some time now, and at one particular school in New York City, it’s already happened.
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August 30, 2010
BY AARON FOWLES
This article also appears on LEARN NC.
If you’re a teacher, you’re probably familiar with the life cycle of a computer in a typical classroom. The first two weeks are magnificent. The computer works wonderfully and performs all its tasks very quickly. Shortly after the honeymoon, though, things go sour. Internet Explorer won’t load a website. The computer begins crashing frequently. A student managed to get a virus on the computer. The icons on the desktop are all messed up. The computer then spends a few years in this semi-usable state: It won’t run the newest applications or even load a YouTube video. Eventually, it won’t turn on at all. The computer ends up either unplugged in the back of the room or sitting in a closet.
It doesn’t have to be that way. There is a way to invigorate those old computers and turn them back into machines that power teaching and learning. This method is totally free, relatively painless, community-supported, very stable, constantly updated, and secure. What could this magic solution be? The Linux operating system.
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August 27, 2010
BY AARON FOWLES
Have you ever scrambled to find a game or activity for your students to use to practice a particular skill? Mr. Nussbaum, created by a 6th grade teacher in Virginia, is home to dozens of free games, activities, and online stories that will solve that problem in no time.
When you enter the site, you can choose from casual games, academic games, online storybooks, and activities sorted by subject. The activities are colorful, engaging, and fun for students.
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August 26, 2010
BY KEVIN HODGSON
The origins of words and phrases from the English Language gets a nice twist with Etymologic, a fun online quiz that can be difficult to master. The site consists of a series of questions with two to four possible answers, most of which seems plausible. You have to show an uncanny knowledge of English (or be incredibly lucky with your educated guesses) to get all the questions correct.
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August 25, 2010
BY REBECCAH HAINES
Many of us are fascinated by robots. I mean, who doesn’t wish for a robot that will cook, do laundry, and clean the toilets? Some of us are scared by robots and would like some robot insurance. No matter which emotions robots inspire for you, learning more about them is probably a good idea, just in case they become our overlords. One site you can do that is at Learn About Robots.
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August 24, 2010
BY KEVIN HODGSON
Let’s say you have an audio file but you only want a piece of it, not the whole thing. How do you remove just a few seconds of audio from a larger file? Online MP3 Cutter does exactly that, and does it well.
Online MP3 Cutter allows you to quickly and easily take an MP3 file and cut a section out of it. The entire process takes about 10 seconds, and best of all, you don’t lose an iota of sound quality in the process.
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August 23, 2010
BY KEVIN HODGSON
For the past few years, the United States Library of Congress has been aggressively pushing its archives online through such sites as Flickr and others. This wealth of resources that was previously hidden away in stacks somewhere can now be utilized by educators thanks to the technological revolution. The latest push from the Library of Congress is its new App for iPhones and other Apple devices. The Library of Congress Virtual Tour is free for download at the iTunes store (I’m not sure if an Android version is coming in the future) and features galleries of exhibits along themes such as the Bible, Creating the United States, and Exploring the Early Americas.
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August 20, 2010
BY KEVIN HODGSON
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say most people now understand there is a wealth of valuable and interesting videos on YouTube. Of course, there is a wealth of not-so-great content, too, and often the good and the bad sit next to each other. Kideo Player is a website that showcases fun and educational videos for very young viewers by filtering out content inappropriate for young eyes.
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