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we've put together a listing of some of the best sites for elementary teachers and students online, plus a few tools to help you keep everything together.

Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. It's not uncommon for the parent of a struggling child to be on the phone with you asking questions like: "Why do you need to use technology to teach math/social studies/English/biology?" or "This is an AP history class  - not computer science!" Your efforts to engage students and develop important 21st century skills can become the scapegoat explanation for problems that have nothing to do with tech. So, how do we as educators get these parents into our corner? Here are some strategies I've used successfully to gain parent buy-in.

Intriguing site lets students or teachers read along to stories with audio, movie-style soundtracks or create their own soundtracks for creative writing assignments. Includes a few sample lesson plans for using the site with elementary, middle, or high school students.

SIMPLE & SMART Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers by engaging their classrooms with a series of educational exercises and games. Our apps are super simple and take seconds to login. Socrative runs on tablets, smartphones, and laptops.

"Kidblog.org is designed for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each student with their own, unique blog. Kidblog's simple, yet powerful tools allow students to publish posts and participate in discussions within a secure classroom blogging community. Teachers maintain complete control over student blogs. "

Games for grades k-6. "We've thoroughly searched the web for engaging and educational games for kids, and we've collaborated with top educators to ensure that all of our games are age-appropriate, relevant and compliant with academic standards. Our team of educators has also created a vast library of "Homework Help" as an additional resource for students, teachers and parents."

Practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, including difficulty levels far beyond basic facts. Free unlimited access for classrooms!

Kids' Letters to President Obama Would you like to see your letter to President Barack Obama published in a book? If you are between the ages of 5 and 15, you can write a letter to President Obama that will be published in a book by Random House. The book is Kids' Letters to President Obama, edited by Bill Adler.

How we define success may vary -- building 21st-century learning skills, closing the achievement gap, reinventing the learning process. But the tonic effect of success on teachers does not change. Everywhere we go, we hear it: There is no greater reward than knowing you have enhanced a child's chances of succeeding in life.