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For those Early Childhood and/or preschool teachers, Baby Smash is a free "keyboard banger" game for very young kids (ages 1-3 years). It disables all system keys such as ctrl-esc, alt-tab and the Windows key, so that the kids do not exit the program accidentally or harm the computer. When the child hits the keys, colored shapes and letters will appear on the screen. The names of the shapes and colors will be read out loud, as well as the names of the letters. Babysmash for Windows (created by Scott Hanselman) is a copy of the Alpha Baby software for Macintosh. It requires the .NET framework version 3.5 to be installed.

CALCULUS IN MOTION ™ and ALGEBRA IN MOTION ™ animations empower students with the ability to visualize and understand concepts like no still picture can. NEW VIDEO DEMOS POSTED JAN 2008: Use the "Online demo" link at the left. CALCULUS UPDATES : The JUNE 2008 , June 2007, March 2007, and June 2006 updates are free to those who have the Calculus In MotionTM collection through 2005. To get them, send an email with your CD's 5-digit serial number (written on the CD's front label) along with your name and school to amweeks@aol.com , and they will be attached back to you. The June 2005 update to Calculus In Motion is available for a small fee. For description and order form, click here . Updates prior to 2005 are free. ALGEBRA UPDATES : The MARCH 2008 , Feb 2008, & March 2007 updates are free to those who have the Algebra In MotionTM collection through 2005. To get them, send an email with your CD's 5-digit serial number (written on the CD's front label) along with your name and school to amweeks@aol.com . A major expansion to Algebra In Motion was released in 2005 for a reduced fee. Click here for more information & order form . Three Sets Available: CALCULUS IN MOTION ™ 143 Animations Including Animations of 2008-1997 AP Exam AB & BC Free Response Questions ALGEBRA IN MOTION ™ 168 Animations of Key Topics in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, & Pre-Calculus ALGEBRA IN MOTION ™ LITE A 62-animation subset of Algebra in Motion™ addressing middle school math through early algebra. Each set runs on either WINDOWS or MACINTOSH. Each set requires The Geometer's Sketchpad v4 (available from Key Curriculum Press, www.keypress.com ) to be on the computer. upcoming public engagements. Audrey Weeks, author of Calculus In MotionTM and Algebra In MotionTM, wil

From the website: Vanishing Georgia comprises nearly 18,000 photographs. Ranging from daguerreotypes to Kodachrome prints, the images span over 100 years of Georgia history. The broad subject matter of these photographs, shot by both amateurs and professionals, includes, but is not limited to, family and business life, street scenes and architecture, agriculture, school and civic activities, important individuals and events in Georgia history, and landscapes. The wide variety of the collected visual images results from efforts by archivists from the Georgia Division of Archives and History who sought, between 1975 and 1996, to preserve Georgia's endangered historical photographs. Designed primarily for preservation, the project located, selected, and copied historically significant photographs held by individuals who wanted to share their pieces of the past with future generations.The Georgia Archives joins with the Digital Library of Georgia to present the Vanishing Georgia images as a digital resource. Support for the project is provided by a Library Services and Technology Act grant administered through Georgia HomePLACE.

This webquest deals with the Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. According to the creator: "First, learners will research the context categories for this novel. Next,the learners will synthesize their research by creating five-question interviews between a category expert and an interviewer. Finally, the learners will present their research to the rest of the class as they conduct the interview." I like WebQuests that go outside of the computer.

Students began by studying biomes then divided into groups of five. Each student in the group drew one of the five major biomes. Using books, cds, and the internet they had to find out the physical features, wildlife, vegetation, climate, and problems confronting their biome. Each person in the group contributed information, video footage taken at the zoo or aquarium, and additional graphics when needed to teach others about their chosen biome. The project was put together in iMovie and shared with all students in the class.

Kids in the House is all about the United States Congress. Students can dive into learning more about the House of Representatives as well as how a bill becomes a law. Interactive activites and games are available, as is a virtual "field trip" where students visit Capitol Hill. The Time Traveler feature is also helpful, as students can learn about the rich history of the House. Information about the Senate is also covered.

Although a few years old, this article, entitled "When Technology Integration Goes to Math Class," addresses some still very relevant issues and positive outcomes from the integration of technology into the mainstream math classroom. The article touches on the reasons why teachers have been more hesitant to move to the constructivist approaches now readily seen in language arts, social studies, and in some cases science classrooms. The article features the author's first attempt at this type of teaching in math: a telecollaborative project entitled "Statisitics: A Curiosity Factor."

BrainPop is a highly-regarded, Flash-based video site that offers an array of movies on all kinds of curricular topics covered during the school year. This particular site provides the framework for a teacher to teach a lesson on animal habitats. Beyond just watching the movie and answering the quiz questions, the educator site gives the objectives, materials, preparation, lesson procedures, vocabulary, and extension activities to do with the students. You will have to create a free educator account to gain access to this page.

This lesson hits around the 3-4th grade level. It is a fun activity that helps teach division through reading the book, When the Doorbell Rang to the class. The students get to have cookies and milk which anytime you use food in a lesson I have learned in motivating! They also will used kid pix for integration of technology after the story practicing creating problems for other students in the class to solve.

In this interactive program, students go through a series of buildings (the house and the tool shed) and rooms trying to guess where the simple and compound machines are and how they are used. As they click around on the different parts of each room (like the faucet in the bathroom), the parts come to life shortly before a couple of questions are posed about that machine. Essential vocabulary (lever, pulley, wedge, screw, and incline) is covered in a fun, entertaining way.

In this article, the author describes a project where students in a 4th grade classroom complete Internet-based lessons about each region of the United States. They then use presentation tools like PowerPoint (which could now be Web 2.0 presentations tools, since this article was published in 2002) to create take-home reports to share with their parents. This artcile has some great ideas and insights into things that could be done differently the next time. Technology upgrades would also make the lessons more interesting, being that it is 2008.

This article talks about a project that was used in a social studies curriculum for 4 or 5th grade students where there is technology integrated into internet based lessons. They also use technology to prepare reports. The beginning gives a quick introduction about technology and the internet in schools today to prepare children for real-world situations. Then it goes into describing the project given to the students and how it affected them.

From the website: "This 2008 ethnographic study for Consumer Reports WebWatch reveals that very young children are using online games and Web sites to play and learn, yet many of the games and sites are designed to manipulate children for the sake of commerce and promote the idea of commercialism. The online games observed in the study were found to vary widely in terms of quality, educational value, and their developmental match with children's abilities."

Very cute ways to asses students on the different stages of the butterfly. The students read about the butterfly stages on the website and then create a step by step kid pix of the stages themselves. Would love to use for science!

This is an interesting article, as it offers a counter-argument to technology integration in all facets of the school experience, as least in the early years. The author makes a good point about young children being over-exposed to computer generated stimuli at such an early age, and he postulates the problems that ensue because of it. He refers to the "erosion" of childhood for marketing/money making purposes that benefit technology companies. He doesn't think software should replace good, interactive teaching.

This web site is brought to you by teachers Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher, creators of The Oregon Trail, the award-winning documentary film which aired nationally on PBS. During the three years we spent researching the film, we found lots of great material we thought would be great for teachers and home schoolers--so we built this this web site to make it all available. Enjoy the adventure! (If you are a teacher, don't miss our free online teacher's guide)

Document cameras, also known as "visual presenters," are electronic presentation tools teachers and instructional technologists use to display anything from documents and drawings to 3-D renderings and other objects that cannot be displayed on a standard overhead projector. Through the use of a megapixel sensor camera (instead of a set of mirrors and light tables), images can be displayed on an interactive whiteboard or overhead screen just by placing the item on the presenter, therefore eliminating the need for transparencies. Most models also offer the ability to interface with other electronic media in order to display digital images and video.

This site provides teachers many teaching points on Georgia's five main habitats as well as the plants and animals that live within each one. While the Habitats Research page is a preporatory page for the in-school "field trips" the company provides, it is still an excellent resource for science instruction (regardless of whether you order the program or not).

If you have an issue or questionrelated to anything involved agriculture, agribusiness, or family and consumer sciences within the state of Georgia, then it's good to turn to the Cooperative Extension Service, based at UGA. My dad was an Extension Agent and they can provide valuable information and hands-on experience to a classroom setting. In fact, that's what they are there for, going out in the field and passing along the research of the university!

This is the International Reading Association's (IRA) 2001 position statement on this issue of technology integration. The article, entitled "Integrating Literacy and Technology in the Curriculum," stresses the need to become proficient in the new literacies of information and communication technology (ICT). A PDF version is available for download.

WorldWise merges technology and Tall Ships to enrich the cultural education of students in North America and provides for the material educational needs of schools in remote islands and isolated tropical communities throughout the South Pacific, Indonesia, Africa and the Caribbean