Group items tagged

One very quick way to look up words on Google is simply to type define:anyword in the Google search field. However, their actual dictionary is far and away my favourite of all the dictionaries I've reviewed, mainly because of its clean, ad-free format. When you click on a sound icon to hear a word pronounced, it doesn't open in another annoying window. The definitions are not too complicated for use by school kids and there are examples used in context and links to other definitions found on the web. At any time, at the top of the page, you can also access web-links, images, videos, etc. that are part of a regular Google search. The site also works with NaturalReader.

Excellent online timeliner recommended by iLearn website. See her July 22 2008 review for comments about using Capzles in the classroom to keep a log of your students' reading progress through the year! This timeliner has an extremely attractive interface and is easy to use. You have to upload photos, videos, and audio files that you want to use. You can add short captions and descriptions easily to those files. The descriptions box looks small but expands as you add more text. Once you're out of edit mode a person clicking on the picture sees the whole block of text. If you want to create a longer text entry, you can blog directly on the timeline. It's unfortunate that you can't create a blog entry and have a picture, too, as the text graphic is kind of plain. Very slick feature grabs the date from your uploaded photos and adds them to the correct place on the timeline. Ideal for classroom use if kids don't spend too much time fiddling with the themes options. The only problem for classroom use is that you can't embed live links which is necessary for linking to sources used or other important sites. Or maybe I just didn't figure it out.

One-stop shopping for rubrics. This site contains a great rationale for using rubrics, advice on how to write good rubrics, and links to sample rubrics, rubric collections, and rubric generators (Try the Rubistar generator and storage link).

This is a set of mindmapping software links I made into a webslide show.

If you are planning a novel study on a book that has won the Newberry or Caldecott Medal, start here! This site contains literature ladders with links related to all aspects of the study of various award-winning novels. For example, the Holes (Louis Sachar) Literature Ladder contains links about the author, bully, homelessness, juvenile detention, Texas, lizards, the desert and more. The site also shows you how to create your own literature ladder.

List of my current favourite UDL Links I just compiled while learning Symbaloo.

This website was recommended by Ross Powell in a presentation on Differentiated Instruction. Includes modules to learn about DI and examples of DI teaching (lessons and units) at several grade levels. DI is just one section of this website which also contains links to various subject areas.

This is the best online mind-mapping tool I've seen. It's extremely easy to link the items and allows all kinds of media on the nodes. Very intuitive!

This page has apps organized by category, e.g. Reading, Writing, Science, etc. and also has link to Special Education apps section at the bottom.

Has excellent resources for younger and older students. Includes downloadable .pdfs colouring books on Geologists and Mining, great list of links. The items in the interactive geologist backpack game are a little too small.

Click on the various squares to link out to research strategies.

This kit with ideas for tech projects to support science themes is being offered free...just enter your name and email for the link...probably involves spam later but the resource looks good.

My favourite book creating app by far. links to downloads and blog with ideas for usingFree app on iTunes. Ideal for children's picture books, photo books, art books, cook books, manuals, textbooks, and more.

Sqworl is a free app that allows you to create a public page on the web that contains thumbnails of several webpages. You can then share the url. This would be useful for making a custom homepage, lists of workshop resources, or safe sites for kids to browse when doing research. It's very easy to set up...you just name a group and then paste in the url's and a short title or description of the links you want. Sqworl creates the thumbnail pics which you can drag around to reorder.

Sqworl set of quick links created for older students studying Canada Fur Trade.

Sqworl page created for easy student links to resources on the Canada fur trade.

UDL booklet is available for download from the SET-BC website. I've ordered 1500 print copies and 25 will be sent to every school that participated in the BC UDL project. The booklet has a short intro to UDL, links to resources, and essays about the impact of 6 "big ideas" in UDL from teachers involved in the project.

Wiki page I created with links about Canada's Fur Trade suitable for both intermediate and high school.

Great set of stories for Xmas reading. Students can read the story or hear it read and/or print the story as colouring pages. The whole North Pole site has many activities but also some sections such as the toyshop which are basically advertising that links to online shopping.

DI site with lots of links, research and practice,