Shelfari

What it is: Shelfari is a virtual bookshelf that you create to show off books that you have read and recommend. It is a Web 2.0 site that allows you to connect with students, other teachers, and parents around books. Shelfari is a great way to discover new titles, discuss books, start an online book club, and show others what you are reading. You can show off your Shelfari bookshelf on your blog, classroom website, or other social networking site of choice. Really cool!

How to integrate Shelfari into the classroom: As summer break approaches, we teachers start thinking about how far we have come during the school year with our students. We also dread that they will be on their own for the summer and may or may not be reading. Shelfari would be an excellent resource to create today and introduce your students and parents to before summer break. Build a bookshelf of age-appropriate reading for your students. Post the bookshelf on your classroom website and encourage students to continue reading with you over the summer. Because Shelfari allows for you to create online book clubs and discussions, students can keep their reading and comprehension skills in tip top shape with you! Shelfari is also an excellent resource for parents who may feel overwhelmed when they enter a library with their child. They often aren’t sure of their child’s reading level and age-appropriate books. With Shelfari, they can visit your shelf before the trip to the library for some great suggestions. Shelfari is also ideal throughout the school year as a place for you and your students to connect over reading…reading is so much more fun when you have someone to share and discuss what you are reading with! Students can create their own bookshelves to show off what they are reading. Teacher to teacher book clubs on Shelfari are also a lot of fun! Connect with other staff members over books that you are reading (they can be school related or not.) Maybe in place of the traditional book report, students start a discussion on Shelfari about their reading. Where have you been all my life Shelfari?

Tips: Use Shelfari in conjunction with Book Adventure for some real reading fun!

From "I Learn Technology"

Until next time ~ Danita

That Math Quiz

Great math site:

ThatQuiz for Teachers is a free testing service for teachers to use with their classes. Multiple choice tests and math tests can be administered to students using this website. All grades are immediately reported to the students. Teachers receive complete record keeping of test results, including all grades and wrong answers.

Fiery Flash Timer

Fiery Ideas flash timer

This handy site lets you easily create a countdown timer, with different selections for background music. Great for tests and quizzes with one exception … it’s so neat it’s a little too distracting!

The first time you use it, kids are liable to just watch IT instead of working on their activity! (The balloon grows and grows until it hits the pin and then there’s a thunderous explosion!)

From NCS-Tech blog

Until next time ~ Danita

GrammarMan Comics

Grammarman, a comic by Brian Boyd, a teacher in Thailand.

These delightfully produced strips are fun AND educational.

You can read the comics, listen to them, or watch them as a YouTube movie. Each one contains errors to be discovered and some are pretty tricky!

This is definitely an upper middle-school activity. The comics are funny and effective! Kids will proofread them voraciously!

http://grammarmancomic.com/comicsgman.html

The site is loaded with lots of other free resources including links to related sites and even a blackline master template for your students to try creating their own Grammarman strip on paper.

From NCS-Tech blog

Until next time ~ Danita