Content Literacy

Nice blog for sharing ideas and activities; has some great resources embedded and worth a look. 

From PBS, which is almost always a good thing, a site comparing the Phyla of life; somewhat interactive and extensive. 

Interactive cell tutorial. Nice way to have students study and to explore the cells. Shows different processes interactively as well. 

NOVA's page dedicated to evolution information. Interactive and interesting!

Program from Florida State University highlighting science through short videos for use in the classroom. 

The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice. More information on many of our other activities can be found here. On our website you will find thousands of our free mathematics enrichment materials (problems, articles and games) for teachers and learners from ages 5 to 19 years. All the resources are designed to develop subject knowledge, problem-solving and mathematical thinking skills. The website is updated with new material on the first day of every month. For guidance on how to find the right resources for you, go to the Help section of the site.

Free Screencasting tools

Interesting approach to timelines in history. Not a fan of the interface, but very interesting approach to include Google searches as part of the information. Why try to write it all when it's available at your fingertips. This might be an interesting new resource for teachers/students. 

If you like Wallwisher, you'll love this new tool. It is Wallwisher with more space and flexibility. I love this tool! It's in Beta and free at this time. I don't expect that it will remain that way.

Great post by Clarence Fisher about reading a novel with another class via Skype and how he is using technology to build the conversation. Instead of being afraid of letting students chat online, he is developing their skills. Rather than hiding some of the less rigorous comments, he's sharing with everyone, so he can learn along with us. 

Timelines are great tools for having students make connections between events and to determine cause-effect relationships. Life is a treasure trove of images and I love the progression using photos.  Not a lot of great selections at this time and the timelines are only photos, but they are great photos.

Another nice description of how to think about blogging in the classroom and how to kick up the rigor of the process. I do like the description of different purposes from Will Richardson's book.  Always looking for ways to bring this conversation to the forefront again and again.... One of the highlights of the conversation centered around a section (on p. 32) of Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcast and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom that articulates so perfectly the different levels of blogging: Posting assignments (Not blogging) Journaling, i.e. "this is what I did today." (Not blogging) Posting links. (Not blogging) Links with descriptive annotation, i.e., "This site is about…" (Not really blogging either, but getting close depending on the depth of the description). Links with analysis that gets into the meaning of the content being linked. (A simple form of blogging). Reflective, metacognitive writing on practice without links. (Complex writing, but simple blogging, I think. Commenting would probably fall in here somewhere). Links with analysis and synthesis that articulate a deeper understanding or relationship to the content being linked and written with potential audience in mind. (Real blogging). Extended analysis and synthesis over a longer period of time that builds on previous posts, links, and comments. (Complex blogging).

Marzano Group indicates IWBs have a positive impact on student learning. Preliminary report published in  fall of 2009 and this is the final report. Report indicates an additional 3 months of learning IF...  effective integration of interactive tools accompanied by PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT!!!

A Diigo group about health content literacy

Adobe is launching a new tool and looking for some classrooms to pilot. I don't think it will stay free for long, but it looks like an easy and very dynamic setting.

Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft is a great site for CC licensed media. If you are having students create digital products this is where they (and you) need to start for images, audio, and video that is legal and ethical to use. 

Great site from the National Archive. Easy to use and wonderful site for having students access primary source materials. 

Kidblog.org is designed for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each student their own, unique blog. It's SAFE, simple, and free (at least at this time). You can set up your students without student email addresses!

The title says it all. Great list of apps. 

"NASA Images provides photos and video related to space exploration, aeronautics, and astronomy. Topics include the universe, solar system, earth, and astronauts. A space flight interactive timeline shows images and video from the 1959 launch of Explorer 1, the first spacecraft successfully launched by the U.S., to the Mars Rovers and International Space Station. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)"