"There's no denying the fact that the Internet is a great tool for students to increase their knowledge. However, some search engines can also lead students to less-than-desirable websites or websites without any valid content. Use these 5 Best Free Web Search Tools for Teachers to ensure that your students find relevant and safe results whenever they search the web. "
DOGO Media is a next-generation online network empowering kids to engage with digital media in a fun, safe and social environment.
"DOGO" means young or small in Swahili. While our young fans may be small, they act BIG as they engage with our websites and express their opinions on the content that interests and inspires them.
DOGOnews was created in '09 by a young mother in the SF Bay Area who couldn't find a reliable and safe source for her grammar school children to use for current events assignments. The word spread…first a couple of classmates read it, then teachers at the school found out about it, and now thousands of students and teachers from around the world are using the DOGO websites in-and-out of the classroom on a daily basis. What started as a small project has quickly grown to a community of kids and educators engaging positively on the current events, books, movies … (and lots more to come) that excite them!
Free Travel Blog - Journal Websites with Maps and Diaries - Use this web 2.0 tool in social studies to document immigrant journals, new world exploration etc.
"When books have no boundaries,
classrooms have no walls.
Subtext makes it easy to interact with your students right in the pages of digital books-you can answer questions, link to websites, create custom quizzes and more. Equally as important, your students can exchange their own ideas and talk about books whenever and wherever they're reading."
From the website:
"Pora Ora is a FREE 3D world designed to make learning fun, where primary school children are rewarded for completing educational tasks that are linked to the national curriculum. The educational content is embedded in games and quests throughout the world, so children really are learning while playing. "
The goal of Edudemic is to connect teachers, administrators, and students with the technological resources. Edudemic has grown to become one of the largest education websites in the world. The site features a regular flow of tools, tips, resources, visuals, and guest posts from dozens of authors around the world. Edudemic exists and flourishes because there is a need to enable resource discovery among educators around the world.
The FBI launched a redesigned FBI-SOS website this week featuring an Internet Challenge to help educate students on cyber safety. The full FBI Safe Online Surfing site is set to launch in early 2012.
The FBI-SOS program is a nationwide initiative designed to educate children about the dangers they face on the Internet and to help prevent crimes against children. It promotes cyber citizenship among students by engaging them in a fun, age-appropriate, competitive online program where they learn how to safely and responsibly use the Internet. The program emphasizes the importance of cyber safety topics such as password security, smart surfing habits, and the safeguarding of personal information.
LearnZillion is a learning platform that combines video lessons, assessments, and progress reporting. Each lesson highlights a Common Core standard, starting with math in grades 3-9.
We started LearnZillion at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. because we wanted to solve a problem. We knew what lessons our students needed but we didn't have enough time to teach each student the right lesson. To create more time, and to share best practices across classrooms, E.L. Haynes' teachers began to capture their expertise on screencasts. We posted them on a homemade website and coupled them with a short quiz to help us track student progress.
Soon the idea grew.
What if teachers from across the country could contribute to the site? What if new teachers could learn the new Common Core standards from the wisdom of experienced teachers? What if students could get a playlist of lessons that matched their needs? What if, over time, the video lessons got stronger and stronger, as more teachers contributed and the data showed which lessons had the biggest impact? Thanks to funding from the Next Generation Learning Challenge, NewSchools Venture Fund, Achievement Network, and others, we are about to find out!
"Field trips get students out of the classroom and into the world, discovering new things, and learning in authentic environments. But for many schools and students, they're an unfortunate rarity. Thankfully there are tech tools that can bring places and experiences fostered by field trips to the classroom."
"Professional Development is a life-long learning process that involves different activities including individual progress, continuing education, inservice education, peer collaboration, study groups, and peer coaching or mentoring. The importance of professional development lays in the fact that it is closely related to the overall quality of education and students achievements. Teachers who stop learning and suffice themselves with the curriculum content soon turn into hard working students only a step above their actual students."
"This collection provides a list of free educational resources for K-12 students (kindergarten through high school students) and their parents and teachers. It features free video lessons/tutorials; free mobile apps; free audiobooks, ebooks and textbooks; quality YouTube channels; free foreign language lessons; test prep materials; and free web resources in academic subjects like literature, history, science and computing. This newly-released list is a work in progress. Please tell us if we're missing something good."
I have started using it this week and really like it. The parents can get the free app and get instant feedback on their child's behavior. If the parents don't want the app, the website emails them when their child receives a mark (whether positive or negative). It also allows teachers to add comments when needed. Check it out!