Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 8/28/15

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

Google Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum – “But no matter what subject you teach, it is important for your students to know how to think critically and evaluate online sources, understand how to protect themselves from online threats from bullies to scammers, and to think before they share and be good digital citizens. Google has partnered with child safety experts at iKeepSafe, and also worked with educators themselves to develop lessons that will work in the classroom, are appropriate for kids, and incorporate some of the best advice and tips that Google's security team has to offer.” (L:T;SA:A)

Alphabet Organizer – “Engage students and build phonemic awareness by using Alphabet Organizer in the classroom. Students create an alphabet book or alphabet chart with words for each letter of the alphabet. Or choose just one word per letter and upload an image to help early readers make a visual connection between the word and the beginning letter.”  (L:G; SA:LA)

Think B4U – “As more of our life happens online, Internet skills are crucial to living responsibly. What are the skills needed to navigate today's Internet society? How can parents and educators teach themselves, their families, and their communities about important topics like identity protection, fraud detection, and digital citizenship? Welcome to ThinkB4U! ThinkB4U is a collaboration between Google Inc. and expert safety partners Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, and the National Consumers League. Together we are tackling some of the biggest learning curves thrown at the average user in a fun and interactive way. There is still much to be done to achieve high levels of digital literacy for everyone. We hope that projects like ThinkB4U will boost advocacy for online safety education, the importance of which is invaluable in a deeply connected world.” (L:M, H; SA:A)

Seven Digital Deadly Sins – confessions of seven familiar famous people (L:M, H; SA:A)

Vocabulist – “Upload a Word, PDF, or Text document. You could also copy and paste text. Wait a minute. Feel free to check Facebook while Vocabulist does some thinking. Select the words that you want, confirm spelling, and confirm the correct definition. All Done! Now print it, export it, and study it.” (L:T;SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley