The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal directed (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells.
The BBC's Witness podcast series offers short, under 10 minutes, audio recordings of newscasts and interviews with people who experienced historical events first-hand. There are currently 168 episodes in the series and more are to be added every day.
Audio Pal is a free service that allows you to quickly and easily record audio messages to post your blog or website. You can record your Audio Pal message by phone, through your computer's microphone, or by uploading a recording. Messages are limited to sixty seconds so you must be succinct. After you've recorded your message, Audio Pal will play it back to you. If you like the recording, keep it. If you don't like your recording, click re-record. When you have a recording with which you're happy, enter your email address and an embed code will be sent to you almost immediately.
A fantastic maths games website which has games designed to practise particular skills in maths. There's blasting robots for the boys and picking flowers for the girls. You can play most games by simply scrolling down on the homepage and pressing the game you want and signing up is not necessary to play these games.
What's a cookie? How do I protect myself on the web? And most importantly: What happens if a truck runs over my laptop?
For things you've always wanted to know about the web but were afraid to ask, read on.
"Patterns & Relations (7-9)
Math Games by Learning Outcome (Up to Grade 7) Math Games: Looking for math games? Christine Van der Ree, School District #71 Math Support Teacher, has developed a site that links to math games organized by grade and by Learning Outcome.
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Rader's Physics 4 Kids is part of a series of Rader's 4 Kids lessons about science. Physics 4 Kids takes students on tours of different sub-topics of physics. After each stop on the tour there is a quiz that students can take to test their understanding of each topic. Along with text and image information there are some short videos about different physics concepts along the tour.
Learning Guides by Experts and Educators
"Shmoop will make you a better lover (of literature, history, life). See many sides to the argument. Find your writing groove. Understand how lit and history are relevant today. We want to show your brain a good time.
Our mission: To make learning and writing more fun and relevant for students in the digital age."
A collection of videos and animations of cell biology processes. Most are QuickTime format. Includes Movies of Cells, Cellular Calcium, Molecular Methods, Molecular Movies and a miscellaneous category.
Historical Scene Investigation is a fun way for students to investigate history through primary documents and images. Historical Scene Investigation presents students with historical cases to "crack." Each of these thirteen cases present students with clues to analyze in order to form a conclusion to each investigation. The clues for each investigation come in the forms of primary documents and images as well as secondary sources.
The Avalon Project is a good resource for students that need to find digital copies of original documents. For example, all of The Federalist Papers are available on the Avalon Project website.
"Our Courts is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. Our Courts is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support.
Current resources on the site include: quality online lesson plans and links to teaching resources and each branch of government in your state. These resources, written and compiled by classroom teachers, are practical solutions to classroom needs. For students, we have interactive features like Civics in Action, and Talk to the Justice, where students can tell each other and Justice O'Connor about their opinions and their civic participation.
Now Available: Our Courts Games
In August 2009, Our Courts launched its first online civics games: Do I Have A Right? and Supreme Decision. In February, Our Courts released Argument Wars where players argue landmark Supreme Court cases. A growing body of research shows that games have extraordinary potential for promoting learning and civic engagement. Games also have the potential to inspire 24/7 learning for young students; in fact, a recent Pew report showed that 97% of teenager play video games!
Teachers
Justice O'Connor believes that education-and teachers-are the indispensable cornerstones of a successful democracy. Her vision requires that teachers be the foundation of the Our Courts project design. Teachers and curriculum specialists have guided every aspect of the Our Courts project's development. They defined learning goals, crafted hypothetical problems to captivate middle school students, ensured alignment to state standards, drafted lesson plans, and vetted game dynamics.
To ease the burdens placed on teachers, we're creating games and related materials that we hope will provide quick and easy classroom activities to inspire and engage
The Atlas of the Biosphere is a series of maps about land use, human impacts on the environment, eco systems, and water resources. Click on any of the four map categories to see a series of maps related to each topic. You will find maps depicting data for the whole world as well as maps depicting data by continent. In addition to the maps, you can also download the data sets from which the maps were created.
Here's a sample of some of the maps and data sets you will find on the Atlas of the Biosphere; infant mortality, suitability for agriculture, growing degree days, and snow depth.
Acadia University's Vaughn Memorial Library has 4 animated tutorials designed to teach lessons on web research strategies. The four tutorials are Credible Sources Count, Research It RIght, Searching with Success, and You Quote IT, You Note It
AutoMotivator provides an easy way to create your own motivational signs or posters for your classroom or office. The process of using AutoMotivator is simple, upload an image from your computer or another website, select the color and style for your font, then type your motivational message.
