RE 6575: Lit-n-Tech

Explanation of the Twitter novel as a growing genre.

Cool blog where she regularly posts interactive games that can be used on the smartboard. The index at the top of the blog lets you easily find a game that matches with what you're teaching.

A website where your students can create storybooks and movies. There are also resources for teachers on how to implement it in the classroom and activities are provided.

One of the self-teaching early childhood modules created by FPG. Nice discussion and materials to help teachers understand and implement dialogic reading practices.

Not pushing this learning system. Don't know a thing about it. However, CAR is a great interaction pattern for parents/teachers of developing readers during storybook reading and there are other dialogic reading and reading resources linked at this site.

This is a web-based literacy program for boys. There mission is to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. Research shows that boys are having trouble reading, and that boys are getting worse at reading.

TIME FOR KIDS is a news magazine geared toward students in grades K-6. Timeforkids.com offers age-appropriate news stories and features about children's books, movies, the environment, science, world cultures and other high-interest topics. Students can find easy-to-use homework help, grammar and punctuation practice, writing tips and a flash-card maker. My kids like seeing whats going on in the world and we read it as a class. I know also, that our literacy program next year (Treasures) is using time for kids too!

Online educational learning games and activities for various levels of learning. I just found it and I like using the labeling games to match labels to actual pictures! Check it out!

Lots of resources here. My favorites are the reader's theatre scripts!

This site has ideas for literacy stations. There are lots of books you are most likely familiar with and the stations are themed. They also include Sci. & S.S & math!

This site contains 100's of links to websites related to using technology in the classroom! There are links such as; going digital in the classroom, smartboard activities, 1001 uses for a digital camera, digital edge learning exchange and so much more!

TodaysMeet is a good way to have a quick convo in a relatively quiet place. I use it in my classroom for an instant feedback on a whole group or small group question. They use the netbooks or ipad's to respond.

ReadWriteThink has a printing press where students can make a booklet, flyer, brochure, or newspaper. There is a step by step guide to walk the students through with basic editing and graphics- but is great for students trying to learn how to use documents like Microsoft Publisher. My students know how to use Publisher now, but this printing press would have been a great way to teach them how to create some of those documents as a "beginner" type version. Great for younger grades!

ReadWriteThink has a printing press where students can make a booklet, flyer, brochure, or newspaper. There is a step by step guide to walk the students through with basic editing and graphics- but is great for students trying to learn how to use documents like Microsoft Publisher. My students know how to use Publisher now, but this printing press would have been a great way to teach them how to create some of those documents as a "beginner" type version. Great for younger grades!

Probably one of the coolest and easiest story starter sites I have seen for grades k-6!! This is like a slot machine that you see at a casino. It has different sections on the slot machine depending on your grade level. The first slot being the genre, the second slot is a describing word for the subject, the third slot is the subject, and the last slot describes what the subject is doing or does. For example, one that I just got on there was: "Write a postcard from a balding carnival clown who explores a newly discovered planet." From here the kids can change the individual slot if they want to. Once they finish they click next and can pick the type of format (newsletter, letter, postcard, and notebook). Once that is selected they can type their story on the format they selected. If they want to write they can just pick a format and print a blank page. Or, you don't even have to use any format and can do a whole class prompt and they write on paper or just type in a word document. I showed my students the machine today and they were very interested in trying it during their writing station. It is too easy to not try- so I am going to give it a shot next week!! I think it is very creative and can make some very silly stories!

This link from ReadWriteThink.org provides teachers and students with interactive graphic organizers to help students get their research and writing organized before an informational paper. You can choose from 4 cubes. Bio Cube, Mystery Cube, Story Cube and Create-Your-Own Cube

Voki is a FREE service that lets you: A classroom management system for Voki I use a voki on my wiki to speak to people who visit- peope tell me they always play it to hear what it has to say. I should change it every week and put important things there so everyone will hear the news who visits the wiki. Maybe next year :) Try it out- its free and fun! You can even record your own voice or use one they have on the site.

This site is a subsriber site but it has a lot of free resources too so you can check it out. Lots of books read to you, songs and jokes. Very easy to use and organized well! Great for younger students!

A free app to use for recording students' voices as they read for fluency practice. Formatting allows for email of messages that can be sent to a PC. Free storage up to 3MB.

A collection of pre-made webquests! There are several that go along with really great books such as Chrysanthemum and The Mitten. There are also quests for poetry and fables. Enjoy.

This is a link to a blog from a teacher who did a webinar on student book publishing with links to Student Treasures Publishing where you can publish class books for free. Neat idea!