Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 5/24/13

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!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

QR Treasure Hunt Generator - Make your own QR treasure hunt (L: T; SA: A )

Spacewalk - “Spacewalk is a networked interactive experience about taking a space walk outside of the International Space Station. Players collectively take on the role of astronauts navigating and exploring the structure of the space station. Spacewalk is an interactive experiment in alternative control schemes, free-form play, virtual embodiment, and metagame communication.” (L: H; SA: S )

Picture Match - “Picture Match is designed to give new readers practice with identifying beginning-letter and short- and long-vowels sounds through a simple, fun game. Updated in 2008, the game features all letters of the alphabet. In the beginning-letter sounds section, a picture of an object (for example, a car) is displayed, and students are prompted to choose the letter that corresponds with the first letter of the word. In the short- and long-vowel sounds sections, students are prompted to choose the vowel that corresponds with the word. If students choose the correct match, they get words of encouragement and a new picture. If they do not choose the correct match, they receive an audible prompt and can then try again, choosing among the remaining letters. Once all of the pictures have been matched, students can print out a chart showing which pictures go with which letters. Pictures are sorted randomly with each game to provide a challenge if the game is played more than once. Picture Match is intended for beginning readers and can be used individually or in small groups.” (L:E ; SA: LA)

Memofon - Text based mind mapping, learning and note taking tool. (L:A; SA:A)

Our Little Earth - Current events from around the globe for kids. Delivered by email every two week. It's free. For all ages Completely ad-free. (L:A; SA:A )

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley