Have you ever wanted to use Google Earth in the classroom but have not been quite sure how to integrate it?  Do you want to reach out to schools in other areas?  This is the perfect project for you.  You will integrate reading and geography in this collaborative project.

Thanks to Jen Wagner for this and all the other great projects she hosts.

Image Source http://www.jenuinetech.com/Projects/pwwg/index.htm

I recently asked my teachers how often they use clickers (one set available per school) and what would make it easier for them to use clickers more often.  Not surprisingly, TIME was the biggest factor.  Teachers need time to develop the lessons.  Hopefully this resource will help with that.  Pete’s PowerPoint Station is a great place to find PowerPoints that are already made and ready to download.  They can easily be used with clickers with very little prep.  If you are in my district and would like help connecting the PowerPoint you find or develop please let me or your ITS know.  We would be happy to help you with that step as well as implementing the lesson with your kids!

Image Source: http://www.pppst.com/index.html

Are you looking for fun math games to play at school or to send home for your kids to do on their personal computers?  Here is a group of more than 30 math games.  There is truly something for everyone.  If you have a game that isn’t on this list and you think it would apply please let me know.  I’ll gladly add it to the list.

Math Games Jog

http://www.jogtheweb.com/play/1NJhMR6H1CSD

Here is a downloadable document of the links.

mathgames

http://clusty.com/ is a mac daddy search engine.  It does more than just give you search results.  It also categorizes them so you can search more efficiently. For example, I typed dinosaurs in to the search bar.  Here is a sampling of what I got.

Image Source: http://clusty.com/

One of my favorite fellow educators, Mrs. Smoke, has blogged a list of virtual field trips.  She has put together a phenomenal list with tips about each site.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, I am going to share her blog with you.  Hopefully you will look at her other posts as well.

http://mrssmoke.onsugar.com/2959452

Internet safety is such in important topic to teach our kids.  It not only helps protect them, it helps them realize the pain caused by cyber bullying.  Here are some resources for grades K-6 on Internet Safety.  They are primarily games, but many of the games have information for parents/teachers as well.  If you have another website that you think would be a good addition to the list please write a comment and I would happily add it to the list!

To access the list you click the green play button.  The list manager will be on the left.  You click the green arrow buttons to navigate forward and backward through games.

http://www.jogtheweb.com/play/qTZwdMJ5fWhN

Image Source: http://www.jogtheweb.com/play/qTZwdMJ5fWhN

There are some great resources to help kids learn about and reinforce what they are learning about nutrition.  I recently did an activity with second graders and included some game time.  The game we played is from the Dairy Council of California  http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/Tools/MyPyramid/.

Image Source: http://www.dairycouncilofca.org/Tools/MyPyramid/

Some other resources to teach nutrition include:

***http://www.brainpopjr.com/health/food/foodpyramid/spinner/

http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities-main.asp

http://exhibits.pacsci.org/nutrition/nutrition_cafe.html

http://kidshealth.org/kid/closet/

http://www.agr.state.nc.us/cyber/kidswrld/java/ColorBig3.htm

Great List of resources:  http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/nutrit.html

March is an exciting month for many reasons. Spring brings warmer weather.  March Madness is quite the experience in Kansas.  And, educationally, Jen Wagner runs her annual Lucky Charms Project.

Image Source: http://www.jenuinetech.com/Projects/st2009/sp2009_information.htm

Registration opens March 1.  The project runs from March 16-20 (alternative dates available for those on break that week).  This is one of the times I wish I were still a classroom teacher.  I have sent the invitation to many of my K-3 teachers in hopes that they will join this project.  I have sent a special invitation with offer of more support to those who aren’t using technology in their classrooms.  This is a great opportunity to model how fun and engaging technology can be.  Hopefully some will take me up on my offer.

I encourage you to check out Jen’s Lucky Charm Project.
http://www.jenuinetech.com/Projects/st2009/sp2009_information.htm

Here is a link to Jen’s Ning where teachers can ask questions and share ideas about this project and others.
http://projectsbyjen.ning.com/

Wow, this was easier than I thought it would be.  I have a Wii at home, so I grabbed one of our wiimotes and brought it to work.  I stopped by a hardware store and picked up a pen flashlight for $2.99.  My computer has bluetooth built in.  If you don’t have a computer with it built in you will need to purchase a bluetooth adapter.

I connected the wiimote using the free download WiimoteWhiteboard for Macs (site has PC version as well).  *I did figure out that I have to turn my bluetooth off and back on every time I connect.

Once it was connected I set the wiimote on the top shelf of my projector cart pointing to my non-interactive whiteboard (any flat surface can work).

I turned my projector on.

WiimoteWhiteboard includes calibration.  I touched the four circles to calibrate.

That’s it!  I just have to make sure that my wiimote is pointing to my screen area and my hand or my body is not blocking that signal.

Here is a link to a pdf file that helped me get started.  It has great images to help you visualize the steps.
http://arch.eece.maine.edu/ideas/images/6/67/Whiteboard.pdf

At this point my district is doing some checking into this as a supported technology.  No decisions have been made at this point.

Do you do a Star of the Week or something similar?  VoiceThread comments would be a cute way to get your kids to interact with that activity.  Your kids would do a VoiceThread on why they like the student of the week.  I learned about this activity from another educator’s blog.  Click the link for an example.

http://poulingail.edublogs.org/