Group items tagged

"It was a meeting all about ideas (my favourite) and we discussed the best ways that technology could support the process of writing and drive the eventual outcomes. In this post I have included a list of 10 literacy/writing tools or outcomes that, in my opinion, teachers should currently be aware of. Many of them are basic yet still powerful tools in the classroom that support children's writing. They are in no particular order."

"...10 alternative tools that either offer a different perspective on digital writing or are a little known tool, that may have huge potential in the classroom. Not everything is free nor is it online - but the list will hopefully provide food for thought when you are looking at your next non-fiction or narrative unit with your class."

Might help create a blended classroom, even when you have to share the blender.  Common sense advise for the real world of underequipped classrooms and stretched thin teachers.

A prezi presentation on a variety of Web 2.0 tools useful in the English classroom.

"Web Tools in Action" A wicki where you can post how and why you use a web tool in your classroom. More about implementation than about the tool itself.

Web search can be a remarkable research tool for students - and we've heard from educators that they could use some help to teach better search skills in their classroom. The following Search Education lessons were developed by Google Certified Teachers to help you do just that. The lessons are short, modular and not specific to any discipline so you can mix and match to what best fits the needs of your classroom. Additionally, all lessons come with a companion set of slides (and some with additional resources) to help you guide your in-class discussions.

Excellent compendium of practical strategies and resources for using comics in the classroom for a variety of purposes.

"Over the course of this event we will be looking at a small range of web based tools that will enable you to create motivating online language learning activities for your students. These can be used either in class or set as homework. You will have the chance to understand how these tools work, find out how to use them with students and be able to try your hand at creating and sharing activities with other teachers. By the end of the event you should have a small 'toolkit' of resources and ideas that will enable you to enhance your lessons though the effective and pedagogically sound use of technology."

"The Comic Creator invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on). The organizers focus on the key elements of comic strips by allowing students to choose backgrounds, characters, and props, as well as to compose related dialogue (shown at left). This versatile tool can be used by students from kindergarten through high school, for purposes ranging from learning to write dialogue to an in-depth study of a formerly neglected genre. The tool is easy to use, made even easier with the Comic Strip Planning Sheet, a printable PDF that comic creators can use to draft and revise their work before creating and printing their final comics. After completing their comic, students have the ability to print out and illustrate their final versions for feedback and assessment."

"A simple way to place useful, formative classroom lessons over any Web page. "

How to integrate all the tools into a classroom setting

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.

This tool is fantastic when I want to have the class read a paper version of an internet article, OR when the ads are so distracting that I can't concentrate on what I'm reading.

A virtual classroom that combines multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter, etc...) using a teacher and student-friendly interface. It looks promising for the ELA classroom, although my concern would be the openness of the site, although it does look like privacy settings are available. Possibly best used with older high school students?

Wow, this is a PRACTICAL guide to info literacy, from step by step on how to read a website, to how students report the info. FULL of information I can use in my classroom without having to reinvent the wheel myself!