Here are some great interactive activities for use on a SMART Board (or any IWB – interactive white board). I found these on a great resource sharing site: http://seamanits.edublogs.org/2009/04/14/jeopardy-online/.

JeopardyLabs – Online Jeopardy Template via kwout

2.

Super Teacher Tools via kwout

These tools are very easy to use and work great on an interactive white board. Super Teacher Tools has 10 interactive activities that are ready to use without any setup or downloads needed. Your computer will just need to have the Adobe Flash plug-in.

1. Google Earth Resources – I am a big fan and advocate of using Google Earth (GE) in the classroom for just about any subject. These are some great overlays or layers you can add to GE. Click on the GE tab at the top of this page to view a presentation about learning how to integrate GE in your class.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/04/nearly-400-google-earth-files-for.html

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=193

3. FunnelBrain.com is an academic question and answer site that provides an environment for collaborative online learning. Create flashcards with videos, photos, audio, text, and math equations!

http://www.funnelbrain.com/

4. Powerpoints and interactive activities galore! Mostly geared towards elementary use.

http://www.pppst.com/index.html

5. Twitter Handbook for Teachers. I’m sure you have heard of Twitter and if not this very helpful document will help you learn all about it as well as the many uses it has in education. Feel free to follow me as well – http://twitter.com/jfarm

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14062777

Ron Clark’s keynote at GAETC was excellent. Truly an inspirational teacher, leader, and pioneer. I was fortunate enough to meet him in person and it was well worth the trip just to see him speak. His energy and love of what he does is obvious. I took this picture when he jumped up on a chair right in front of where I was sitting. 

Ron Clark Academy

Google Documents allows you to create word processing documents, spreadsheets, forms and presentations. The beauty is in the simplicity and ease of use. I can start a project at work on one computer and then complete the presentation, letter, spreadsheet or whatever it happens to be on any other computer that is connected to the internet. All your work is done on your Google Documents web page. You do not have to download a word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation program. Did I mention that all this is free; all you have to do is sign up for a free Google account.

Here is a presentation that I have created and shared at conferences.

The Life ‘Round Here project my fourth and fifth graders participated in this year is coming to a close. The winner for our school was Trey, a fourth grader in Mrs. Knight’s class. The students did an amazing job and truly enjoyed themselves. Please take a look at our projects along with those of the other 14 schools that participated. Schools from Waycross to New Zealand and beyond all worked hard on producing multimedia videos about themselves and their towns.

Find the completed projects along with the winners from each school here.

If the links above do not work, copy and paste this URL into your browser’s address bar:

http://chriscraft.pbwiki.com/completed+projects

Freerice.com is a great way to increase your vocabulary and make a difference. It’s a simple concept. When you log on to the site you are given a vocabulary word with four choices. Choose the correct answer and you just helped feed a hungry person through the United Nations World Food Program. Checkout the site for more details and while you are there it wouldn’t hurt to see if you can get your vocabulary level up a few notches and feed the hungry at the same time.

Update: Freepoverty.com is very similar to freerice.com but instead of donating rice by taking vocabulary quizzes you donate water by answering geography questions in a fun interactive quiz. Check it out and see if you can beat my score of 234!

Create cool photo cubes with your pictures. Great for all kinds of projects. Simple step by step process to create and print your pictures on a template that even has the dotted lines to fold and solid lines to cut.

Click the picture to go there or weblink here: http://www.tabblo.com/partners/flickr/

Here is a sample of one that I created from our Storybook Character Day at Center:

1. Choose your flickr photos.
2. Put them where you want them on your cube.

3. Select letter or A4 and open as a PDF to print (with cutting instructions on the printout).

And this is what you get when you click “Get Photo Cube”:

Final product:

Very cool tool! If you don’t use flickr just printout a blank cube to use as a template. You can then cut and paste your photos onto the template and create a cube from photos on another website or prints that you have.

The future for our students. Whether we want to admit it or not, technology skills are vital for the success of students in the internet age. This picture caught my eye and pretty much sums it up rather nicely.

from: http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/10/mac-presence-gr.html

Powered by ScribeFire.

I wanted to share an article from Education World that I thought you might find useful. Hopefuly some of the information and resources can be put to use in your classrooms.

Click here to go to the article.

The article mentions ikeepbookmarks which is what we use in the computer lab for easy access to websites for students. I have folders on the top of the page that keep sites organized by subject area and then weblinks at the bottom of the page that are frequently used sites. This makes it easy for students to get where you want them within a few mouse clicks instead of them having to type in a long web address. Feel free to bookmark my page (Click here) or you can easily create your own by following some simple steps on the site. If you are at Center Elementary and want help with any of these shortcuts and tips, feel free to come by the computer lab and I will gladly help you out. If you are from some far far away place, I am not opposed to flying or sailing to your location. (No cold weather, sorry.)”What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

The new year begins! Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought I would let these pictures speak for me… enjoy.

(Photos taken by Ms. Cobb)

And these:
(Photos by Ms. Cobb & Mr. Farmer)