Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 2/20/09

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Shahi – “is a visual dictionary that combines Wiktionary content with Flickr images, and more!” (Thanks to Faye Valbert for this!)

Quest Alantis – “Quest Atlantis (QA) is a learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-12, in educational tasks. Building on strategies from online role-playing games, QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. It allows users to travel to virtual places to perform educational activities (known as Quests), talk with other users and mentors, and build virtual personae. A Quest is an engaging curricular task designed to be entertaining yet educational.”

Teampedia – “is a collaborative encyclopedia of free team building activities, free icebreakers, teamwork resources, and tools for teams that anyone can edit! This site is designed for a wide audience including: team leaders, trainers, teachers, managers, camp directors, counselors, and youth groups.”

Wonderville – “Wonderville.ca is an interactive science-learning environment that is filled with trustworthy educational activities. Each high-quality activity is directly linked to the Alberta program of studies for grades 3 to 7…Through the Wonderville.ca Teacher Site, educators can access valuable tools to enhance their students' Wonderville.ca experiences. Here, teachers will find engaging lesson plans and activity guides to assist with integrating activities into the classroom.”

PicLits – “PicLits.com is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture.”