Search Results for: sponge
How to Integrate Web 2.0 Tools into the Classroom
‘Web 2.0’ is a term familiar to all teachers. Stated in its simplest form, it’s the set of interactive internet-based tools used by students to enrich educational opportunities. ‘Web 1.0’ referred to the act of accessing websites—
[caption id="attachment_2274" align="alignright" width="422"]
Which of these do you use in your classroom[/caption]
nothing more. Students read websites, clicked a few links, and/or researched a topic.
Web 2.0—Web-based education basics–includes blogs, wikis, class internet homepages, class internet start pages, twitter, social bookmarks, podcasting, photo sharing, online docs, online calendars, even Second Life—all tools that require thoughtful interaction between the student and the site. For teachers, it’s a challenge to keep up with the plethora of options as the creative minds of our new adults stretch the boundaries of what we can do on the internet.
Students, adults, teachers who use this worldwide wealth of information and tools are referred to as ‘digital citizens’. They leave a vast digital footprint and it is incumbent upon them to make healthy and safe decisions, including:
- Treat others and their property with respect (for example, plagiarism—even undiscovered—is immoral and illegal)
- Act in a responsible manner
- Look after their own security
Here are some activities you can do in your classroom that will make your lessons and activities more student-centered and more relevant to this new generation of students:
Monday Freebies #13: Great Online Art Sites
Online resources for great worldwide museums. Take one lesson to introduce students to these six art sites (five to ten minutes on each) and then allow them to revisit when they have a few minutes at the end of a class projects, unit, before lunch, etc.
(more…)
Weekend Website #55: Science for Fifth Graders
This list covers all sorts of science from nature to geology. Like with the math websites, for my students, occasionally I put a list on the internet start page and let students go there during sponge time (click the link and see what’s up this month, so close to the end of the school year): BTW: Links go bad. Click here for an updated list.
Nineteen Ways to Use Spare Classroom Time
I keep a list of themed websites that are easy-in easy-out for students. They must be activities that can be accomplished enjoyably in less than ten minutes. In the parlance, these are called “sponges”.
What exactly are sponge activities? The term, originally coined by Madeline Hunter, refers to an activity designed to produce learning during the time taken up by “administrivia.” They stem from Hunter’s teaching philosophy that there should be no wasted moments in her classroom.
Here’s my list, by topic: (more…)
Weekend Website #41: Spanish Help
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.
[caption id="attachment_4351" align="aligncenter" width="614"]
Learn Spanish[/caption]
(more…)
Weekend Website #14: The Internet Start Page
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.
Using an Internet Start Page
This is a great idea for kids. Use one of these free start pages to put everything important there for your child that’s internet-based. Mine includes oft-used websites, blog sites, a To Do list, search tools, email, a calendar of events, pictures of interest, rss feeds of interest, weather, news, a graffiti wall and more. Yours will be different, more geared toward summer activities. Ask your child what s/he’d like there. Maybe sponge activities (internet sites that take just a few minutes to soak up empty time).
I used protopage.com (Protopage is your own personal page, which you can access from any computer or mobile phone), but you can use netvibes. Start pages are an outreach of the ever-more-popular social networking. Most search engines offer them also. They all have a huge library of custom fields to individualize any home page. And, they’re all simple. Don’t be intimidated.
When you get yours set up, on the To Do list, put what the child should do to start each computer time. This gives them a sense of independence, adultness, as they get started while you’re wrapping something else up.
Free Lesson Plans
A couple of times a month, I share lesson plans that will assist you, my readers, with integrating technology into the digital classroom. All are student-centered, age-appropriate methods of collaborating with classroom teachers in subject areas such as science, math, social students, language arts, grammar, spelling, and more.
Note: If you want connected lesson plans? Try the Technology Curriculum published by Structured Learning available through the publisher, or Teachers Pay Teachers.
The lesson plans are organized by:
- subject matter
- tool (if any)
- grade level
A note: These aren’t updated so you may find expired links. I apologize in advance for that.
Thirty-two More Ways to Use Spare Classroom Time
I keep a list of themed websites that are easy-in easy-out for students. They must be activities that can be accomplished enjoyably in less than ten minutes. In the parlance, these are called “sponges”.
You may have read my post with nineteen sites my students love visiting during sponge time (let me know if you liked them, have some to add, I’m always interested in learning from you). Here are thirty-two more. Hope you like them! (more…)
Nineteen Ways to Use Spare Classroom Time
I keep a list of themed websites that are easy-in easy-out for students. They must be activities that can be accomplished enjoyably in less than ten minutes. In the parlance, these are called “sponges”.
What exactly are sponge activities? The term, originally coined by Madeline Hunter, refers to an activity designed to produce learning during the time taken up by “administrivia.” They stem from Hunter’s teaching philosophy that there should be no wasted moments in her classroom.
Here’s my list, by topic: (more…)
