kylesphoenixgroup

As far as I am concerned, this is the best site for learning about how to create web pages in HTML. Why would you even care about this. For one thing, you do not need to purchase software to create your own web pages. Using just HTML Code and a text editor (Textwrangler is a great free text editor), students can create simple to elaborate web sites. A disadvantage of this is that there is a learning curve.  A great advantage is that creating web sites is a great project for student centered learning.  Another advantage to this site is that older students can work though it on their own. While this may not be for all students, it another way to really push your GATE students to the next level. Creating web sites can be integrated across all areas of the curriculum.

While not collaborative, IXL is a great math practice site that can be used by students of all ages. One advantage (besides the age range), it that it offers immediate feedback when students enter their results. Also, if students do not give the correct answer, it reviews the problem to help them see how it should be done. Another advantage is how well it aligns with curriculum. The only real disadvantage is that students do need to have an account created for them if the teacher wants to keep track of their progress. This site can be easily integrated into any math class that has access to computers.

Master Key is a keyboarding practice tool (It is a software program, as opposed to being used on line). One of the problems with students doing a lot on their computers is that it can take them so long to enter their data/text. If students do not have a lot of keyboarding experience, this could be a great tool. One disadvantage is that this in not really a typing tutor. It does not really show how to type (though there is an onscreen image that shows which fingers should be used on which keys for classic touch typing. Another is that, while you can use it for a while for free, they do expect you to purchase the rights to use the software at some point (although the cost is not that high). One advantage of this program is that students can easily rate their growth in speed and accuracy. However, the best advantage in my mind is the ability to create your own keyboarding drills. If you are studying the Maga Carta, why not kill two birds with one stone and convert it into a keyboarding drill. Using the computer can be very frustrating for students with no keyboarding skills and this could help solve that problem.

This is an on line mind mapping site. Students can create word webs, flow charts, etc... On advantage is its ease of use and that you can use the basic functions for free. You can show students how it works very quickly. It is also free from advertisements. The only real disadvantage is that for students to collaborate on their webs across a network, they do need to subscribe. Also, unlike Inspiration or Kidspiration, word webs cannot be converted to outline form. This site would work really well with an interactive white board, as students can come up and add to the web. Mind maps can be integrated across the curriculum. In language arts, students can use them for pre writing activities to organize their thoughts. Social studies teachers can use them to have students map out a concept. Science and math teachers can use it to create flow charts to show how if/then processes work. I think this is a great tool that all teachers should keep in their bookmarks.

Scratch is a drag and drop programing language that students can use to create games, presentations, animations, quizzes, etc... One great advantage are that it is free. It also gives students a look at how programing works. There is a large gallery of Scratch Programs that students can download and reconfigure to their own needs (slight disadvantage is that students need to set up an account to access the gallery). The major disadvantage is the learning curve. There is a lot to Scratch so it may not be for everyone, but once the students know how to use it, they can really put their creative hats on. This would be a great way for GATE students to really push past what the other students are doing. The online video site I listed above can be a great help to students who are learning it on their own.

This is a fully featured animation program. You have to buy it, but for the price, it is a great educational tool. The strength of this program is what you can do with it. Student can create full frame animation with lip sync capabilities and a full palette of vector drawing tools so students can fully create their own characters and background. Image can be imported to use as well. The weakness of this program is that there is a definite learning curve that can be time consuming. However, you don't need to teach it all in one bite. You can teach a process here and there to get through specific processes for specific projects (Text animation only for on project, etc...). However, once that weakness is overcome and the student know how to use it, the sky is the limit. This could be a great tool for GATE students to really expand on what they are doing in a given area. This is a truly cross curricular resource. Language arts teachers can integrate it by having students create animated book reports, or animated parts of speech. Science teachers can use it to animate different physical processes (like the water cycle). Social studies teachers can have students animate historical figures to talk about the issues of their day.

Tagxedo is an online generator of Word Clouds. Word clouds are the random arrangement of words to fill shapes. When I was experimenting, I took the text of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe and converted them into the shape of a bird. It is a commercial site, but it I did not see any ads (unless you want to purchase the Tagxedo products). It is similar to Wordle, but the advantage I found with this site is it did not have the Javascript issues I was having in Wordle. Another advantage is that the word cloud can be exported as a jpg file, which can easily be imported into any multi-image document (slight disadvantage, the Tagxedo logo appears on the jpg, but with proper software can be cropped out). I did not see any particular disadvantages to it except that you had to choose one of their shapes and could not use a custom shape. I think word clouds could easily be integrated into any creative writing endeavor but I did see a couple of shapes that could be used in social studies.

A good web resource for creating Graphic Organizers, especially Venn Diagrams. A strength of this site is that can create great Venn Diagrams and has a good library of graphics for other graphic organizers as well. It can be a good tool to use with an interactive white board, as students can come up and add to the diagram. Also, there are no ads on the site. A weakness is that it is not super intuitive and you will probably need to spend a little time (especially with younger students), getting them up to speed on how to use it. Another weakness is that to actualy print or publish your diagrams, you need to subscribe. The minimum subscription cost is $5 a month (I believe per person), but besides printing, it does make collaboration possible, so it may be worth the cost. Using graphic organizers is another cross curricular concept. Language arts teachers can use Venn diagrams to chart what characters do and don't have in common. Social studies teachers can use them to find what cultures have common characteristics and how they differ from each other. In Science, they can be used to compare and contrast properties of different items or concepts.

This on line comic strip generator could be a fun way to get your kids to do some creative writing.   Students can bring in a variety of characters and voice balloons.   ELD students can work on basic grammar skills by putting words into their characters mouths. Comic strips can be sent out to printer (or saved as pdf from print window). While one of strengths of this site is its ease of use (I can picture even primary students being able to use this site pretty well), one weakness I see is that it is quite laden with advertisements and links to take the students away from the site. This could pose a problem for the primary (and sometimes not so primary) students who feel compelled to click on any link or image they see on a site. Where I see this mostly as a site that can mostly integrated into Language Arts for creative writing and for ELD for basic grammar writing, I think a creative social studies or math teacher could find a way to use it. Imagine characters telling jokes about what they have learned in their classes (like real comic strips). To be able to write something funny about a topic, they have to really understand it first. Perhaps that would be the best use of this resource.

A good site to foster collaborative learning as students can work together to create, test and edit their charts.  No need to subscribe, just get going. Easy to follow step by step procedure, so even the younger kids should be able to do this no problem. This site is a creation of the National Center for Educational Statistics and does not appear to have any biases. I do not see any real weaknesses in this site. It is easy to use and the graphs that are created can be printed or emailed anyone. I think there are a lot of ways this resource can integrated into almost any curricular area. Math, obviously, but a social studies teacher might use it to have students graph reactions to current events, language arts teachers can use it to chart student predictions to a story, or science teachers can use it to chart the results of group experiments.

This site has a lot of great step by step video tutorials on how to use scratch.