Google Earth

Let's Use Google Maps to Tour the Amazon or take a 3D tour of Famous Buildings

Google has release 2 updates to Google Maps that allow you to see famous buildings 3D while in Streetview. you can tour the White House (below), the Eiffel tower, the Sydney Opera House and more.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Google has also released Streetview imagery of the Amazon. Check out the video below.

To learn more about these new Google Maps releases click here.

Timelines

ChronoZoom - A Timeline of Almost EverythingPost from R. Byrne on March 28th, 2012

ChronoZoom is a timeline project from Microsoft Research. The primary goal of ChronoZoom is to provide a multimedia timeline of the history of the world from the dawn of time to today. The timeline is arranged according to themes and thresholds. Thresholds are eras and major developments in the history of the world. Within each threshold there are multiple videos, images, and texts about that time. ChronoZoom is an impressive display yet it is a little tricky to navigate at first. You should watch this ChronoZoom tutorial from Microsoft to discover all of the functions of ChronoZoom.

ChronoZoom Tutorial from Microsoft

Fraction Fun

Conceptua Math

This site provides

interactive, visual fractions tools are ideal for teacher-facilitated, whole-class instruction in fractions,

whole-class instruction, and for parents supporting students at home. The site also provides videos and lesson plans for students and teachers to help get a better understanding of difficult fraction concepts.

Fraction Monkeys

FunSchool Action Fraction
Race a car around a track by solving fraction problems.

iFake Text

iFaketext is an easy to navigate site that allows students to create fake iPhone text messages. They can save, email, or embed the "text" image. Student fill out the screen below and click Create Your Screenshot.

Here is what the "text" looks like:

How to use this in the Classroom:

1. Practice writing dialog/conversations in other languages
2. Create unique poetry
3. Characters from a book having a conversation or continuing a story
4. Historical figures talking
5. Discuss current events
6. Debate an issue
7. 
   

8. 
   

InsideStory Flashcards

What a fantastic way to learn new vocabulary and making it stick!

From InsideStory Flashcards:

"Great stories. Our stories are unforgettable—and that's how they make words stick. Each "story" provides a clear context for the featured vocabulary word, so readers easily understand how the word is used. The vocabulary is closely associated with the memorable details, making learning words almost as easy as laughing at a funny caption, reading about an unusual animal, or getting the scoop on a cool city."

Wordia

Do you need a great place for students to build and practice vocabulary and word knowledge? Wordia exposes students to a variety of vocabulary through a game-based platform. Wordia blends learning games and interactive videos to teach vocabulary. Wordia's games focus on spelling, grammar, oracy, auditory, and phonics. Students work to build word banks and collect badges. These badges track student progress. Students can use Wordia as a resources for when they come across an unfamiliar word. They use the site's search features to find a definition, a video, a game, and related words. If the video is no there, students can create and upload their own. There is a subjects tab that gives access to four main areas: English, humanities, science, and Internet technology. User can even upload their own world list that Wordia uses in making games.

Rhyme 'n Learn

Rhyme ‘n Learn is math and science taught through rap (mnemonics devices). Rhyme ‘n Learn was created by math and science teacher, Joe Ocando who discovered that many students find it difficult to memorize hundreds of new terms and facts. There are videos for each rap and the lyrics are on the page.

Quadratic Formula Rap

E=mc^2 Rap

World Digital Library

World Digital Library

The World Digital Library can be a great resource for anyone that teaches history and or cultural studies. The World Digital Library hosts a wealth of image based resources and almost 5,000 primary documents from collections around the world. Many of the resources are historical maps and images. The World Digital Library can be searched by clicking through the map or timeline on the homepage or by country, continent, topic, and type of resource. The World Digital Library is appropriate for almost all ages.

Algebra in the Real World

Algebra in the Real World is full of short documentary films that show how Algebra is used in a variety of jobs and real world scenarios. Some of these mini films are:

• Aquarium makers
• Backpack designers
• Designing stronger skateboards
• Engineering faster bikes
• First one in the ball park
• The forester
• Landscape architects
• The Lundberg farms
• Maglev trains
• Reliable Robots
• Roller Coasters
• Saving the bald eagle
• Solar power
• The starshade
• Structural engineering
• The surface of Mars
• Testing the robotic hand
• The wind business
• Windsails

Other Real World mini-video topics include:

• REAL WORLD MOVIES
• AGRICULTURE
• ANIMALS
• ARCHITECTURE
• ART & MUSIC
• BUSINESS & COMMERCE
• DESIGN
• EARTH SCIENCE
• ENVIRONMENTAL
• SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• SPACE SCIENCE
• SPORTS
• TRANSPORTATION

Gooru provides us with an extensive collection of videos, interactive displays, quizzes, diagrams, lesson plans, and documents in chemistry, biology, ecology, algebra, calculus, and other subjects. The subjects are easy to search by using the keyword feature. You will need to become a member to have the access to this wealth of information, and by being a member you can create your own folders and drag and drop in resources that you like. Students can also create Gooru accounts to use resources and practice tests.

Alphabetimals

Alphabetimals is a cute website that has resources to help children learn the alphabet. The Alphabetimals characters allows students to spell out any word they would like. The site also offers free printable flashcards, an alphabet poster, and alphabet coloring pages. Teachers can also use the lettering to create cute words.

Sponge Lab

This site looks great. Sponge Lab is Beta form, but it has a lot of resources and will probably continue to grow. Resources include graphics, simulations, animations, videos, lesson plans, etc. You do have to register, but it only takes a minute.

American Experience

American Experience is a wonderful website done through PBS where you can find over 1,500 resources from more than 110 American Experience Web sites. These resources include timelines, primary sources, teacher's guides, maps, galleries, interactives, and videos to use in your classroom.

Money Island

This virtual world of Money Island has students go on quests to destinations like the Eiffel Tower and Atlantis and learn about money and how the economy works while they . As students go on these quests, they learn and practice the real-life principles of financial responsibility. Money Island concentrates on building knowledge and skills in three major areas including: saving and spending, earning and investing, and using credit wisely. Students will also learn how to spend, grow and give money; the difference between wants, needs and taxes; different types of income; gain an understanding of interest; how to use credit wisely; and how to build wealth. Money Island also includes detailed classroom lesson plans and activity suggestions. Students can save their progress as they work through the games. This allows them to play from school and home. Teachers and parents can also us the site to see what students are learning and track progress.

In the News

Newspaper Map is a great website to locate and read newspapers from all over the world. The interactive map allows you to move around the world and select newspapers. Placemarks show you locations of newspapers and are colored according to the language the paper is written in. Once you select a newspaper, you can then choose to view it in its original language or translate it into another language.

Newseum's Today's Front Page has made agreements with over 800 world newspapers to be able to display the front pages of these newspapers on their website. Once on the website you will see a map that you can easily navigate. Small orange dots correspond to the newspapers' locations. Hove your mouse pointer over an orange dot, and you will get a preview of that newspaper's current front page in its original form. Please note that these newspapers are unedited so discretion is advised.

Virtual Artifacts Creation

Museum Box

Want a great way to create a virtual display of artifacts that you find online? Museum Box is a great tool for organizing images, text, links, and video and audio clips. When students have finished collecting their artifacts, their "boxes" become digital dioramas.

Below is a great Museum Box tutorial from Adam Bellow at EduTeacher.

Get the Math

Get the Math is a great website that teachers and students can use to solve Algebra-based mathematics challenges. These challenges come in the form of "real world" scenarios such as music production, video game design, and fashion design.

Short videos of professionals explain and show how math is used in their profession. Students watch the videos and then try to complete a series of challenges based on the work these professionals do everyday. One example is after watching the Math in Fashion video, a challenge is for students to create a shirt that meets a specific price point.

Check out this video of Get the Math in action in a classroom.

Watch Get the Math: An Intro on PBS. See more from THIRTEEN Kids.

Habitats

Here is a great list of resources to use when you are studying habitats with your students.

Websites:

1. Draw a habitat- a favorite from PBS!

2. Plant and Animal Habitats from BBC has students working with the Sarah Jane Adventures team to complete a habitat interactive activity where students match aliens with the best habitat based on clues about both creature and habitat.

3. Learn about habitats with this virtual text from BBC.

4. Create a butterfly habitat by adding and removing plants.

5. Explore the Deep Sea habitat with this interactive from National Geographic.

6. Explore the Antarctica habitat with National Geographic’s Critter Cam.

7. Build an online habitat with Switch Zoo.

8. Design a Habitat with ARKive education.

9. The Great Habitat Match with the Magic School Bus Gang.

10. Walk in the Forest helps students learn about layers of habitats in the forest.

11. Animal Homes (this is a good one for kindergarten or younger).

12. Frog habitats- students help a frog find a new home.

13. e-Learning for kids habitat interactive.

*Resources from iLearn Technology

ClassTools

Create free educational games, quizzes, activities and diagrams in seconds! Use them on your Smart Board or host them on your own blog, website or intranet! No signup, no passwords, no charge unless you would like a Premium account that gives you access to advance features.

Here are some of the things you can create:

• Fakebook
• QR Game Generator
• Arcade Game Generator
• Random Name Picker
• Countdown Timer
• Twister
• Keyword Checker
• Plagiarizr
• Dustbin Game
• Telescopic Topic
• Post It
• Diamond 9
• Fishbone (Ishikawa)
• Venn Diagram
• Animated Book
• Timeline
• Lights Out
• Target
• Hamburger
• Living Graph
• Learning Cycle
• Jigsaw Diagram
• Priority Chart
• Source Analyser

Dipity

(Information taken from the Dipity website)

What is Dipity?

Dipity is a free digital timeline website. Our mission is to organize the web's content by date and time. Users can create, share, embed and collaborate on interactive, visually engaging timelines that integrate video, audio, images, text, links, social media, location and timestamps.

Why use Dipity?

Dipity allows users to create free timelines online. Digital timelines are a great way to increase traffic and user engagement on your website. Dipity is the fastest and easiest way to bring history to life with stunning multimedia timelines.

Wikipedia's Sisters

Wikisource is an online library of free content publications, collected and maintained by our community. We now have 273,676 texts in the English language library.

Wikiquote is a free online compendium of sourced quotations from notable people and creative works in every language, translations of non-English quotes, and links to Wikipedia for further information.

Wikispecies is a free species directory that anyone can edit.

Wiki Commons is a database of over 12 million freely usable media files including images, audio, and video.

Wikibooks is a collection of open-content textbooks.

Wiktionary has grown beyond a standard dictionary and now includes a thesaurus, a rhyme guide, phrase books, language statistics and extensive appendices. Thus etymologies, pronunciations, sample quotations, synonyms, antonyms and translations are included.

Explainia

Explainia has hundreds of animated explanation, interactive tutorials, and instructional videos of technology, work, and science. You can even embed them in your web pages.

Planetarium

http://neave.com/planetarium/

Put in your location and use Planetarium to see a map of the night sky for your location and date. You can enter any location in the world. You can also just "wander around" the night sky to look at all the constellations.

Calculators Galore

This website offers 43 online calculators that have a variety of functions.

Categories of Calculators

1. mathematics
2. measurement & conversion
3. saving & investing
4. capital budgeting
5. cost of capital
6. wages & taxes
7. financial analysis
8. health
9. loan & leasing
10. stock ananlysis