Category: Reviews

Book Review: 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom

55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom: Everything you need to integrate computers into K-8 classes

by Jacqui Murray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The all-in-one K-8 toolkit for the lab specialist, classroom teacher and homeschooler, with a years-worth of simple-to-follow projects. Integrate technology into language arts, geography, history, problem solving, research skills, and science lesson plans and units of inquiry using teacher resources that meet NETS-S national guidelines and many state standards. The fifty-five projects are categorized by subject, program (software), and skill (grade) level. Each project includes standards met in three areas (higher-order thinking, technology-specific, and NETS-S), software required, time involved, suggested experience level, subject area supported, tech jargon, step-by-step lessons, extensions for deeper exploration, troubleshooting tips and project examples including reproducibles. Tech programs used are KidPix, all MS productivity software, Google Earth, typing software and online sites, email, Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, internet start pages, social bookmarking and photo storage), Photoshop and Celestia. Also included is an Appendix of over 200 age-appropriate child-friendly websites. Skills taught include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, creativity, digital citizenship, information fluency, presentation, and technology concepts. In short, it’s everything you’d need to successfully integrate technology into the twenty-first century classroom.

(more…)

book review

Weekend Websites #39: Big Huge Labs

Every Friday I’ll send you a wonderful website that my classes and my parents love. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of your students as they are of mine.

big huge labs (more…)

book review

Weekend Website #34: Block Posters

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.

posters (more…)

book review

Weekend Website #32: SqoolTube

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.

sqooltube (more…)

book review

Weekend Website #30: Breathing Earth

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.
breathing earth

(more…)

book review

Weekend Website #28: Bing Maps

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.

maps (more…)

Weekend Website #27: TED

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.

ideas worth spreading

(more…)

Weekend Website #26: Tagxedo

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.

tagxedo

(more…)

How to Become Survivorman–or Bear Grylls–in Third Grade

14201561 FloodingIf you want to spice up a unit on landforms, have students look into surviving these unique natural habitats. To get out with their lives, they’ll have to understand the flora and fauna, dangers and helpers. Here are some websites they can visit to improve their survival toolkit:

In the Jungle

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/wilderness/jungle-survival.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2242569_survive-rainforest.html

In the Desert

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/wilderness/desert-survival.htm

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/man-vs-wild-moab-desert.html

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/28208-man-vs-wild-moab-desert-canyon-obstacle-video.htm

In the Mountains

(more…)

Weekend Website #21: Test Your Typing Speed

Drop by every Friday to discover what wonderful website my classes and parents loved this week. I think you’ll find they’ll be a favorite of yours as they are of mine.

typing test

(more…)