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

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!

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.

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

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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

(Photos taken by Ms. Cobb)

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

From their website:

“The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM) is an NSF supported project that began in 1999 to develop a library of uniquely interactive, web-based virtual manipulatives or concept tutorials, mostly in the form of Java applets, for mathematics instruction (K-12 emphasis). The project includes dissemination and extensive internal and external evaluation.”

Visit the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives . (Say that three times fast!)

You also have access to customizable modules and tracking tools to meet the needs of your classes. Check it out and let me know what your class enjoyed working on.

I would like to share two excellent resources for reading and language arts in todays tech tips. The first is Reading Rockets (click to go there). From their website: “Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.” This excellent site has tons of great tools that can help with reading instruction; parent tip sheets, multimedia resources in audio and video format, and much more. The second site is readwritethink.org. The link will take you to the interactive tools section of their website. These sites allow students to use engaging, challenging, and fun tools to develop literacy skills. A great example is the persuasion map tool. This helps students to visualize their persuasive writing before starting their paragraph. It is a great mapping tool.

* ThinkFree

* Writely

* Zohowriter

*Update: Writely.com was purchased by Google a while back and it is now part of Google’s docs & spreadsheets. This is great because now you have word processing and spreadsheets in one online tool.

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Originally uploaded by KnowledgeFarm.

The last day of the school year for students! Wow! This year has flown by . I can’t believe how quickly it has gone. Now is a time to rejoice, reflect, and rejuvenate. We get to rejoice and celebrate so many success that all our students have had throughout the year. I wish our 5th graders the best of luck as they move on to new adventures in middle school. As a teacher, reflection can be a very powerful process to help improve and discover new methods. And finally, rejuvenating is necessary to help us comeback strong and refreshed. I look forward to next year, but not just yet.