TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Aug 18, 2024
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Wheel of Names - Mikko Haapanen - Seating Chart Maker
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
The Wheel of Names can be a versatile tool for enhancing student engagement and participation while creating a safe and positive classroom setting. One effective use is for random selection, where the wheel can be spun to choose students for tasks, discussions, or presentations, ensuring fairness and transparency without singling out individuals. This transparent randomization helps avoid potential discomfort or anxiety from direct calling out. Another valuable application is in decision-making activities, such as selecting topics for projects or prioritizing ideas generated through collaborative brainstorming. By combining the Wheel of Names with other tech tools like collaborative platforms here, educators can create dynamic learning experiences that promote engagement, fairness, and effective decision-making in the classroom.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Classroom Management: Face-to-Face, Hybrid, & Virtual - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), professional development (407), remote learning (56)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the learning modules shared on this site to learn new classroom management ideas or revitalize your current classroom management procedures. Share this information with peers during your grade-level planning sessions to support fellow educators and collaborate on best practices. If you would like to document your understanding and participation in completing the learning modules, complete the course questionnaire and share it with your school or district's professional learning team to obtain professional learning documentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Canvas - Free LMS - Instructure, Inc
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), Learning Management Systems (20), portfolios (24), remote learning (56), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
Use Canvas to deliver remote instruction or as a supplemental tool for in-school instruction. Create courses to differentiate learning opportunities for students. Provide advanced courses for gifted learners, or add additional resources for students that need additional instruction in any content area. As students become familiar with using Canvas, encourage them to use the ePortfolio feature to share their educational accomplishments and reflect upon the learning process.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Golden - Sam Fankuchen
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), organizational skills (89)
In the Classroom
Many schools require students to volunteer, use Golden to help manage your school's volunteer program. Be sure to use the sharing features to place volunteering opportunities on your district, school, and class websites. Help students understand the value of volunteering by taking their work beyond just time spent. Use an online bulletin board like Pinside, reviewed here, to share and brainstorm areas of student interest with the understanding that volunteering will be more meaningful if it is something chosen by the student and not viewed as a required assignment. Encourage students to document their volunteering by taking photos and videos throughout the experience. Consider extending classroom technology by asking students to create a podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, to encourage others to volunteer by sharing their personal stories and reflections upon their own experience. As a reflection activity, and to modify classroom technology use, ask students to create and share a presentation using Sway, reviewed here. Use Sway to include images, text, and more to tell their volunteering story.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Duck Soup - Robert Boyett and Andrew McAfee
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), Google (53), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
Save time and paper using Duck Soup. Start out slowly, perhaps with one or two papers the first week. Choose a paper that is familiar to both you and your students and explore together how to use e-sheets and settings that work best for your classroom. Once familiar with the site, the possibilities are unlimited. Use Duck Soup for homework, centers, and ongoing projects. Instead of sending paperwork home to be completed by parents, create digital versions for a quick response and compilation of information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LivingTree - livingtree.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): chat (41), classroom management (123), communication (138), DAT device agnostic tool (147), organizational skills (89), polls and surveys (48), Teacher Utilities (159), video (262)
In the Classroom
Use LivingTree to manage and organize any classroom. Maintain a classroom calendar, with automatic reminders, so students can easily find due dates and deadlines for homework and projects. Share information with parents to keep them up to date. Use the discussion feature as a resource for keeping students involved over long holidays or on a snow day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classtools Countdown Timer - Classtools.net
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), counting (59), time (92)
In the Classroom
There are many uses for this practical online tool. Get out your interactive whiteboard or projection screen (or even the classroom desktop computer) and make sure the speakers are turned up. Use this tool for students to practice speeches, or to limit the time for a quiz or spelling test. Use the countdown feature for timing the rotations from center to center. You can even use the timer for reading fluency exercises or physical education warm-ups! A clever classroom management tool would be to start the visible count-down on your computer screen when you want the class to settle down for directions or to transition to the next subject. Select calming music for quiet times. Students may even want to use this tool for themselves. Kindergarten students can practice counting along with the watch!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Freebies - Charity Preston
Grades
K to 8tag(s): back to school (62), book reports (28), classroom management (123), commoncore (75), posters (42), preK (263), substitutes (26), worksheets (70)
In the Classroom
Bookmark Classroom Freebies as an excellent resource for teaching materials throughout the school year. Take advantage of the free printables for use on bulletin boards, for classroom management, and centers. Choose materials from the site to use in substitute folders. Be sure to share this site with your fellow teachers! You might consider finding snow day and vacation day activities to post on your class website for parent and student use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GoConqr - ExamTime Ltd
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): classroom management (123), flash cards (42), homework (32), mind map (28), quizzes (89), social networking (64), test prep (69)
In the Classroom
Share GoConqr with students to build and use study skills. Although an individual can use the site on their own, it is best to use it as a sharing site for study information. Encourage students to sign up and build a network of friends for creating and sharing resources. Learning support teachers and teachers of gifted-but-disorganized students will want to share the tools and encourage their students to create groups and collaborate with their peers. Have students create review activities and swap them with peers. Use this tool with colleagues to co-create materials to use with content units or materials to use for flipping the classroom. Use this tool for professional development.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Classmill - Tariq Rauf
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): classroom management (123)
In the Classroom
Create your course and offer it to your students for greater interaction and learning through community building. Find great ideas from other existing courses. Teachers of gifted can use courses to challenge students in their areas of interest. You can also have gifted students create or collaborate on a student-made "course." Explore the topics yourself for some new, engaging topics to round out your own expertise. Allow students to enroll in a course that would fit into their career goals as an exploratory opportunity in that field.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Teacher Toolkit - The Region 13 Educator Certification Program (ECP)
Grades
K to 12tag(s): back to school (62), classroom management (123), reading strategies (103), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
Keep lessons engaging and interactive with these Tools. For instance use the Quiz, Quiz, Trade activity to get students up and to interact with questions for review before a test. To structure a meaningful discussion try the 5-3-1 activity. Use the Gallery Walk to review and get students discussing the unit or topic just finished. With the Gallery Walk, student groups could create posters (maybe a picture summary of something just read in class) and walk around observing and taking notes from others' posters. Or, to enhance learning, have students use Genially, reviewed here, to create digital posters that can include maps, surveys, video, audio and more. Then, have students complete a digital Gallery Walk, reviewing posters on each others computers. There are dozens more strategies for you to try at The Teacher Toolkit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Showbie - Trilby
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (150), classroom management (123), data (148), Learning Management Systems (20), organizational skills (89), Teacher Utilities (159)
In the Classroom
If you are lucky enough to have an iPad classroom, Showbie is an excellent resource for creating and sharing assignments. However, any device with web access will work fine. Use Showbie in your flipped classroom to provide rich multimedia lessons for students including videos, images, and audio. Share with parents for viewing student work and assignments. Share with other teachers for students to seamlessly view all assignments, including Learning Support and ENL teachers who work with your students. Help your students become more organized with their assignments.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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