Category: Websites

A lot of you read the post about ten must-have Free apps for a new computer. If you’re a parent, you might like my post on five great Free apps for kids here.

Here’s a list of programs I often recommend to the parents I teach (with the exception of Get Social–most of my parents aren’t bloggers). These are picked because they are simple to download, simpler to install and they work as advertised:

GIMP

Checks your computer and removes a lot of the adware that comes with surfing the internet. The free version has an excellent reputation and should be an integral part of your arsenal for fighting off malware. the install is easy and using it easier. You push a few buttons and let it do its thing, trolling your computer for problems. I run it weekly. Do it more often if you go to a lot of music download or heavily-advertised sites. Donwload.com offers this video for more information.

Lavasoft Ad-aware

Checks your computer and removes a lot of the adware that comes with surfing the internet. The free version has an excellent reputation and should be an integral part of your arsenal for fighting off malware. the install is easy and using it easier. You push a few buttons and let it do its thing, trolling your computer for problems. I run it weekly. Do it more often if you go to a lot of music download or heavily-advertised sites. Donwload.com offers this video for more information.

Spybot

Use this Free program to get rid of spyware that is usually installed on your computer without your permission. If you notice new toolbars that you haven’t installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been “hijacked” (changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. It is one of the most popular out there, part because it’s Free and a big part because it works.

Every year it receives a bunch of awards because it’s excellent at its job and the price is right.

Printkey

The free version (you can get it free with the link above) is unsupported by the creator. To get technical support, you have to go to the website.I have the free version and have absolutely no problems with it. It activates with the ‘PrtScn’ key (yours might spell it out as ‘Print Screen’) which is intuitive. What’s not intuitive is how that key works without Printkey–Bill Gates should change that.

I digress. You push the key. It provides the option of selecting a portion of the screen or all. You can copy to the clipboard or save. What could be simpler?

There is a competitor version called Jing. It’s free, allows the same options with the addition of video (you can take a video of what you’re doing on your screen–great for training). But, it requires a few more steps and isn’t activated by the ‘prtscn’ key.

GetSocial

This is a lifesaver if you post a lot to the internet and want to make it available for sharing (see my buttons below). It’s simple to install, simple to use, and Free. What makes it even better, its creator seems like a good guy.

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

There are an awful lot of math sites on the internet and too often, they are filled with distracting ads that make it difficult to find the learning material, or too many games that don’t so much teach math skills as babysit kids.

Here are some I’ve found useful in my technology lab. They’re straightforward, with an uncluttered interface (mostly) and a focus on teaching not entertaining:

Math and Virtual Manipulatives and Tessellations –well organized, using a whiteboard with shapes and colors as the virtual manipulatives.

Math website—popular, a standard

Math—by Grade Level–a longtime favorite that reinforces basics, math facts and speed math

Math–Mental Math –traditional mental math practice. Well done.

Math–Minute Math –Mad Minutes

Games that make you think –logic, for K-3

Multiplication.com–lots of multiplication problems, lessons, games, with a few on addition and subtraction

Interactive Math Lessons–lots of them. You’ll find everything you need here.

Math problems by skill and grade

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

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.

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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.

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Are you here for a lesson plan… Tech tips… Humor? Click the category below and you’re there.

[caption id="attachment_1055" align="aligncenter" width="154"] 52 weeks of tech tips[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1057" align="aligncenter" width="150"] KidPix lessons for K-2[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1058" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Google Earth lesson plans[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1059" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Photoshop lesson plans[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1063" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Web 2.0 lesson plans[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1064" align="aligncenter" width="150"] MS Word lesson plans[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="176"] Mouse lesson plans[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Take a break[/caption]

If your third grader has to write a report about landforms, try these websites:

1. About Rivers www.42explore.com/rivers.htm
2. Biomes/Habitats http://www.allaboutnature.com/biomes/
3. Deserts http://www.42explore.com/deserts.htm
4. Explore the Colorado http://www.desertusa.com/colorado/explorriver/du_explorrv.html
5. Geography Activities—for teachers www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/
6. Geography Quiz Game www.quia.com/pop/114591.html
   
7. GeoNet Game www.eduplace.com/geonet/
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Please see the update here with more websites, kid-friendly browsers, citation resources, how to research, and a poster!

Quick, safe spots to send your students for research:

1. BrainPop–with the BrainPop characters, a launchpad to curiosity
2. CoolKidFacts–kid-friendly videos, pictures, info, and quizzes–all 100% suitable for children
3. Dimensions–academic research geared for college-level
4. Fact Monster–help with homework and facts
5. Google Earth Timelapse–what changes to the planet over time
6. Google Trends–what’s trending in searches
7. History Channel–great speeches
8. How Stuff Works–the gold standard in explaining stuff to kids
9. Info Please–events cataloged year-by-year
10. Library Spot–extensive collection of kid’s research tools
11. National Geographic for Kids
12. Ngram Viewer–analyzes all words in all books on Google Books
13. SqoolTube Videos–educational videos for preK-12
14. TagGalaxy–search using a cloud
15. Wild Wordsmyth–picture dictionary for kids
16. World Book–requires membership

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Use Unconventional Research Sites to Inspire Students

How do I teach Inquiry and Research in Middle School

updated 3-22-21

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

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.

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They’re user-friendly, kid-tested, organized by grade and topic. Just click this link to Great Kids Websites and scroll down until you find your grade and subject.

Send me an email with any websites you use with your students:

If kids are inspired to write, they get better at writing. The trick is to make writing fun.

Blogs do that. The students get to interact with their favorite toy–a computer–and go online for legitimate purposes. They get to see their thoughts in print. What could be more appealing. Blogs and online forums are a teachers dream.

The problem is how teachers use these tools. Like every good skill, blogging and online writing requires a bit of explanation. Start with these simple rules:

1. Be concise in a blog. Readers don’t go to blogs to read a novel. They want something that will help them in, say, a minute (that seems to be the average time people spend on a post)
2. Be pithy. Readers don’t want to waste even that sixty seconds. They may get tricked the first time by a snazzy title, but not again. So, students must put their thoughts together in a cogent and concise arrangement.
3. Be knowledgeable. There are so many bloggers out there, students must come across as intelligent on their topic and smart enough to discuss it in that one minute the reader gives them. How do they do that?
   1. Watch grammar and spelling.
   2. Pick a topic they know about. If it’s an opinion, pick something they have ideas about.
   3. Don’t tear down the other guy’s opinion as a way to promote their own. This sort of mean-spiritedness turns people off.

For more great reasons why blogs are good for kids, visit Educational Blogging Wiki–including helping them find their voice and empower their maturing identities.

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