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This is just a really really cool tool I found while looking through the Technology for teacher blog. You know how annoying it can be to create a slide show that looks professional and not like you made it yourself with your kindergarten html skills. I also really like how this site is drag and drop, drag the photos to the web page and then they are in the slide show! Only thing is you have to be careful how large your photo files are, but other than that this is awesome!

This article provides 10 different ideas on how to enhance book reports. Rather then have a student write a five page book report and wait for your feedback, students can get creative with the use of the internet. This article provides numerous websites that allow book reports to take a new form. I think it would be interesting to allow students the option of choosing between a few of them when it comes time to present a book. They even have voicethread on here as an idea for students to create slide shows that can be interactive and collaborative. I especially liked number seven, which suggests allowing students to create a timeline of events in the story they just read in an online timeline. Students can capture the story through photos, videos, audio and text in order to retell important events in chronological order. These ideas will make reading books and creating book reports more interesting for students and allow students to be creative.

Collection of 10 different primarily technology-driven approaches to book reports and reading logs.  I remember I had a teacher in high school who, while allowing the typical essay-format book report, encouraged creative projects that pushed the boundaries a bit, and students put together everything from dioramas to videos to magnetic dress-up dolls.  This site collects 10 specific resources and ideas for book reports and reading logs,  most of them involving technology.

I remember I had a teacher in high school who, while allowing the typical essay-format book report, encouraged creative projects that pushed the boundaries a bit, and students put together everything from dioramas to videos to magnetic dress-up dolls.  This site collects 10 specific resources and ideas for book reports and reading logs,  most of them involving technology. There some great stuff here to motivate kids to read and make it especially fun!

Kraus studies the effect musical training has on the brain and finds that musicians have increased abilities in other hearing-related skills such as language and the ability to block out background noise. This has significance for educators. 1) It argues that music should be part of the curriculum. 2) Children with some learning disorders can benefit.

Prensky's articles last week inspired me to learn more about how the anatomy and functioning of the brain change due to exposure to stimuli. This article is about the effects of musical training on language and other skills one might be surprised to hear about.

Oops, I mean go to the pdf of an article Kraus published in 2011, first one on the list if you click on her publications under the photo.