If Sally has $11.58 and her sister has $1.85 less. How much will they need to save before they can buy a toy that costs $50.00?

Considering that a few have little or no background information on money, we have a ton of learning to do in a few short weeks! Obviously, I need to begin the unit by differentiating instruction so that students who came to third grade with previously-taught skills in money, like recognizing coins and bills, can move on. Those who need to become familiar with our system of currency deserve that lesson…and one that will stick. In both small classrooms and the largest, kids are eager to work in flexible groups, but are typically aware of what the other group is doing. This year, I found a great web application that made the brighter math students wonder what they were missing!

In years past, I tried to encourage students new to counting money to get some coins out of their piggy back and bring to class to identify, classify and arrange. Half wondering if they would every really use change in adulthood, I rushed through this concept so that we could make it through the unit in time. This year, I looked for a way to teach them to count change, but add more advanced math concepts at the same time. That’s when I found MathDoodles. This web demo, obviously still in demo mode, was written by a teacher for kids who like math, but want to have fun. Teacher-designed apps are always the best….too bad they typically have the least amount of free time to write programmes.

After fiddling with MathDoodles and argueing with my husband over whether the directions referring to a “neighborhing number” referred to physical location or location on a number line, I took it to the IWB during math class for some testing.

While my math/logical learners stumbled through a few Singapore Math models (exampled above), I took my currency-illiterate students to the board and brought up “Connect Sums.” I set it to use coins instead of numbers or dice. I watched the students collaborate to understand the game rules and listened to them discuss the value of the coins. After fully understanding the goal of the game, they began to determine their strategy. As a group, they quickly gained understanding of currency value and began to develop the skill of counting on by various sums…5, 10, 25.

If your student(s) struggle to show understanding of math concepts learned 2 or 3 years previous, think before signing up for online programs/games that cycle through a database of math problems. While these programs can build foundational understanding of math, the built-in reward systems are there to keep students from burning out. If there are just a few concepts that your student needs to build a foundation upon, games like Math Doodles teach, build confidence, and develop higher-order thinking skills….and it’s FREE!

ads? No.

membership/cost? Demo is free. Carstens Studios may publish and charge a fee for a full-version at a later time.

navigation? Very precise. Excellent classroom tool for IWB.

sound? yes.

Presented on a wrinkled-paper background, players navigate a ball to strike intentionally placed stars. The catch is that every object, blocks, platforms, balls and rockets will all succumb to Newton’s friend, gravity!

The most exciting component of Crayon Physics is it’s seventy levels, many of which can be mastered by a pre-schooler! A tech teacher friend, Bill Witt, introduced this to me and I embarrassed myself in front of 20 fourth-graders. Of course the ball would roll right off the side of the platform since I neglected to draw color a ramp to re-direct it.

The free demo is full of levels and choices. The upgrade buys you new islands and access to a “playground” where you can share user-created challenges. An i-phone app was released one year and ten days ago. Michaela’s favorite game by Purho is World of Goo.

ads? No.

membership/cost? Demo is free. Deluxe is $20 (PayPal accepted). Download by Kloonigames necessary. Not for Mac yet.

navigation? Very precise. Excellent classroom tool for IWB.

As we share ideas online, we can share a library of media that will help get the “picture” across to readers. If you have a picture to share, email us by clicking on the email button at column right. View PhotoBucket Album here.

Remember that these images are labeled as “free for reuse” as long as you don’t benefit financially from their use. To protect yourself from free image license changes, visit ImageStamper….gratis @educ8ter.

]]> http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/2010/01/15/edtech-images-labeled-for-reuse/feed/ 11 http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/2010/01/03/wait-dont-google-that/ http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/2010/01/03/wait-dont-google-that/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:32:45 +0000 bigsissy http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/?p=65

Midway through a unit of study on rainforests, my daughter was given an assignment to find out what side a farmer would take on deforestation. That night, I was feverishly catching up on emails, twitter and facebook when I saw Michaela (MT) peering at me through the glass doors, with the confidence to tell me to get off the computer because she had homework that needed to be done online.

Momentarily, her step-dad, my very own Mike Brady (MB), began a long, drawn-out Socratic session on what her assignment really entailed.

What is the question that you are being asked to answer?

Did your teacher specifically say that you needed to use the computer?

After Michaela fessed up that she wasn’t really asked to “Google It“, but rather come prepared to discuss her position on deforestation as a farmer, the air was cleared. I had infinite time to stay glued to the computer and Michaela got to enlist in a very productive session of Critical Thinking 101. Children tend to jump for the computer before thinking about what they already know and what they need the computer for.

MB: So, Michaela, what do you know about farmers?

MT: Well, they grow things for a living.

MB: Ok. And what resources do they need to farm?

MT: Hmmm. Machines or people. And water. And land.

MB: Right. Now, can farmers grow crops in a rain forest?

MT: Sure.

MB: Really? Don’t your typical food-producing crops need lots of sunlight?

MT: You’re right. And they wouldn’t want so many animals living amongst their crops.

MB: Getting closer. And, if you were a farmer, would you sell your crops to endangered monkeys and rare birds?

MT: No. I would want to farm near where people live and buy food. The rain forests would be in the way. I would need to cut down the trees to grow my crops and for roads to be built to connect me to my buyers. Now I know what side I need to take.

MB: Please go check online to see if you are right. And remember to think about what your opponents will say during your discussion tomorrow. Can you Google: poor farmer rainforest -save -donate?

At that instance, I realized the value of using the internet as a forum for sharing information, learning, and researching. But I realized that parents and teachers can help build critical thinking skills through conversation and asking questions to lead children to the place they need to be BEFORE they google. Had Michaela searched “rainforests” only, she would have reveled in opportunities to donate money, read sad stories and inspect every species of beetle known to mine the soil. By conversing about her search goal and practicing patience, all were happy. And Mr. Brady took the trophy for most patient.

To learn more about how Google is supporting young internet surfers, read this New York Times article dated December 25th, 2009. “Helping Children Find What They Need on the Internet”.

If your child is studying the rain forests, read my previous post on The Prince’s Rainforest Project.

Start out by checking for a list of words uploaded by your school/teacher found under “find a list”. If none, just type in your current spelling words and get started. Parents, this is a great thing for you to do to avoid a situation where your student types in the initial list incorrectly and practices the wrong spelling!

Next, have your child click on “Teach Me” to listen to a thorough pronunciation and spelling of each word. You can also click to hear the word read aloud in context of a sentence. Regardless of whether teacher has your student study definitions, understanding a word within context gives kids the opportunity to recall each and every time they have seen, read or spoken that word. Recognizing its purpose helps students become better spellers as they make the connection between reading and writing.

Spice things up with a few games. Click on “Play a Game” to see a series of interactive games that include alphabetizing, scrambles, missing letters, audio word match and word search. A friendly grid allows you to determine how many words are required to make the game possible as well as whether the game can be printable and taken “offline”.

After a few rounds of games, it’s time to test yourself! Here, students are asked to spell each of the words they submitted as a list (or those chosen on a provided list). An audio button prompts you to type in each word and can be repeated as many times as needed. For extra help, they can click on a sentence button to hear the word in context (useful for homophones). After the test, your child can “Print a Report or Certificate” to take to school or hang on the fridge. The report is useful as it reviews mistakes and gives corrections. Carefully studying errors is a great way for some learners to focus on proper spelling.

SpellingCity.com features many other tools to help build spelling skills. The “Resources” page features articles about how the brain learns to spell as well as popular spelling lists. If your student’s teacher uses a spelling program that will not integrate well with SpellingCity.com, use it as a supplemental tool. My daughter uses a Latin-Roots vocabulary/spelling program at school. However, some of her basic sight words are spelled incorrectly in daily writing. We will use the “Contractions” and “Plural Nouns” lists over holiday break to catch up on some missed spelling lessons.

Educators and interested parents can visit a “Forums” page to share lists, discuss practice tips and give feedback on games.

If your student is required to write their spelling list as a handwriting exercise, you can use a teacher-uploaded list and convert to a  handwriting. Here, you choose print or cursive and a size of print and writing guide lines.

Ads? Yes, right below the menu tabs and large, click-able image for “FreeRealms” chat and video download site on homepage.

Login Required? No. Students can type in name to personalize worksheets/certificates.

Navigation? Medium.

Audio? Yes and necessary to learn, take test and some games.

Membership? Optional for premium game(s) at $25 per year. Sample word lists available to try out premium games. Activity tracking.

]]> http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/2009/12/11/watch-out-akeelah-im-up-on-spellingcity-com/feed/ 4 http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/2009/11/29/biology-on-the-big-screen-froguts-com/ http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/2009/11/29/biology-on-the-big-screen-froguts-com/#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:55:11 +0000 bigsissy http://edtogobox.edublogs.org/?p=44 Any science class is probably mixed with students who will let nothing stop them from becoming a top surgeon and those who squirm at the idea of a frog trespassing the classroom door. In the name of science, many schools and teachers find value in observing the insides of various organisms to truly collaborate and experience biology. Could projecting a dissection on the “Big Screen” (Interactive White Board) be the answer?

When I told my daughter that I had to dissect a fetal pig in high school, she was concerned, then asked the obvious question,

“Am I going to have to dissect an animal in science class?”

She had this half-scared hesitation, but with a grin. She wants to go to medical school, but probably banked on the fact that she can hold off on stomaching the hands-on exposure until she was way older. Most schools introduce dissection in the middle or high school grades. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science allows students in 4th grade and above to observe a dissection of a cow eye or sheep heart.

But for students who face anxiety or have parents who question the morals of animal dissection, there’s FroGuts.com Virtual Lab Software for Schools. Recipient of Technology & Learning Magazine Award of Excellence, this site features a step-by-step lesson on the biology of various organisms. FroGuts.com offers students the ability to virtually dissect a bullfrog, a cow eye, a starfish, a fetal pig, an owl pellet, as well as being able to explore a Mendelian Pea experiment and observe fruit flies. Other resources are available such as an articles on animal species and a special lesson on genetics.

Before my daughter experiences her first dissection at school, I’ll have her watch the Free Demo from FrogGuts.com to familiarize herself with the tools, the purpose and reality of dissection. With that under her belt, and her evangalistic tendencies, I’m sure her school will buy a site subscription and consider FrogGuts.com for cost, safety, technology, space and humane reasons.

Ads? No

Login Required? Not for demo.

Navigation? Medium Tricky.

Audio? Yes, but with subtitles.

1. Erroll by Hannah Shaw is about a boy who finds a talking squirrel in his snack pack. $15.99 HC

2. Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter is a true story about a small town in Long Island with 3,168 tons of garbage and nowhere to put it. $17.99 HC

3. Football, Basketball, Baseball and Racing Math Series by Jack Coffland, David Coffland, Christopher Jennison, and/or Barbara Gregorich is designed for students in grades 4-8 and feature workbooks that tie sports activities and projects into basic math skills introduced in these grades. This would be a treat hook for a student who struggles, but it willing to go the extra mile! $12.95 WB

4. I am Going! by Mo Willems is next in the series of Elephant & Piggie books. We can’t get enough of the snenanigans as this text is fun for parents and early-readers to enjoy night-after-night! $8.99 HC

5. The Lightning Thief Film Edition by Riordan lets the cat out of the bag. The first novel in a series about Percy Jackson and the Olympians will soon take to theatres in a 20th Century Fox’s feature film adaptation starring Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan. The Film Edition will feature cover art to match the film. $7.99 PB

6. America’s Children’s Mystery Series by Carole Marsh will release 6 new titles in January. Publisher Gallopade states that each mystery uses real kids as characters in current-day stories that incorporate history, geography and the local culture of REAL U.S. locations. Adventures can be tracked online. New titles: The Mystery at Fort Sumpter, The Mystery on the Great Lakes, The Mystery at Mount Vernon, The Mystery on the Oregon Trail, The Mystery in Hawaii, The Mystery at Yellowstone National Park.

7. After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson, three time Newbery Honor Author, is a moving novel about three girls who were affected by the music and death of Tupac Shakur. This title would be appropriate for a pre-teen or teen reader who is fascinated by the talent, careers and possibilities of musicians and entertainers that make headlines each day.

8. 11 Birthdays (Audio) by Wendy Mass. Simultaneously with the paperback release, you can purchase this popular tween text with audio CD. Reading and listening build comprehension skills and get even the most reluctant readers on board. Have your reader “listen” to the last chapter and talk about what’s going on before moving further into the book. Reviews available. $25.95 CD

9.  Copper by Kazu Kibuishi is a Graphic Novel about a boy and dog with opposite personalities, whom are off on a series of adventures through marvelous worlds. $12.99 PB

10.  Too Much Kissing! And Other Silly Dilly Songs About Parents by Alan Katz is a fun collection of songs that can be read or sang with your child. It gives perspective to parents as they read through child-sized eyes. $16.99 HC

by Alan Katz & illustrated by David Catrow

Full Disclosure: I do not receive pre-press texts, therefore, I have not read the titles listed above. However, based on recommendations, previous author publications, and popularity of topics, I feel they are worth following. For great reviews on pre-release books, visit author, Diana Tixier Herald’s Bookshelf. She has written Fluent in Fantasy: The Next Generation, Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests, and Teen Genreflecting and more.

 Author, Bill Zimmerman, creates an interactive site that features a supply of characters with common and unique emotions to get your noggin churning. Born out of a true interest in getting creative sparks flying, Zimmerman knows what gets kids fired up:

“I envisioned MakeBeliefsComix.com as a place for you to come to and have fun by creating your own world of comic strips. My hope is that by giving you a choice of characters with different moods and the chance to write words and thoughts for them, you will tap into your creativity and explore new possibilities. After all, there is no greater force in life than the power of the imagination to free us from our immediate problems and to spur our energies to find solutions to our befuddlements.”

Avoiding that writing assignment due on Monday? Take your child to MakeBeliefsComix.com and start plotting the story by choosing characters, timeline and dialogue. Print or email your final comix and send it to school for some feedback from teacher. Add to the writing assignment by creating another comix and use them as a “first draft”.

This site is free and has minimal, appropriate banner ads. The navigation is simple compared to other comic strip programming. The bottom of the page feathres links to a writing prompt blog as well as a place to print blank comic strips if using the “creator” is a task at first. There are great one-scene doodle prompts that make a great warm-up exercise if you just want to get your writer thinking! (Don’t be surprised if teacher starts using this site in class.)

This interactive site features a quick-reference rainforest fact sheet to help with simple projects or homework. To take learning to the next step, kids can listen to sound recordings from rainforests. Chris Watson’s” Out of Our Sight” shares sounds of a dry tropical rainforest will make you feel as if you are surrounded by exotic species and fantastic surroundings. Don’t miss the audio clip of the howler monkey as it is quite a surprise! A few of the featured videos went viral on YouTube a few years ago, eliciting a reaction across all age groups. If you have the proper viewer, you can watch a live video stream of a rainforest from six different locations from around the world!

The twelve-year-old fell instantly in love with “Breathe” performed by featured musical artist, Luc Foriani. The lyrics are provided and links to listen to this song make it a powerful message about what children can and are doing. She liked the term for a variety of artists singing about rainforests…Eco-Music.

This online experience comes full circle with an opportunity to chat at Ed Staffords’s Rainforest blog, including his feed from Twitter, detailing his daily expeditionary adventures. Today’s post:

“Yet another viper missed, this tme by Cho and Pete. I spotted it after they had walked straight over it. Lucky – again.”

If you leave this experience with any big questions, go back. There’s a spot to ask Rainforest Experts a “Powerful Question”. They even take questions from an entire class. This may be the the inevitable consequence of taking a curious and caring child through this online experience. They will leave wanting to get their teachers and school involved in The Prince’s Rainforest Project’s many competitions, assemblies and fundraisers designed and used by schools all over the world.

Full disclosure:  The “frog” in the title is misleading. But, it goes with Prince and there is a Poisonous Dart Frog featured on a few of the pages.

Our 5-year-old needed to learn his number bonds for 10. That means that he needs to know all combinations of numbers added together that make ten.

So, we researched MathsFrame, a great resource typically used in the classroom on interactive white boards. There are many free resources that offer timers, various levels and the option to upgrade if necessary. The pages are simple, with a soft aqua background and large pieces for dragging and dropping. Timers and scorekeepers can be turned off for some activities. This site does not keep long-term scores or data. Fortunately, there is no background music, but some sound bits when your child completes a round or drops an item in the appropriate space.

Requirements: Need to know how to drag-and-drop using a mouse. Requires some mental math, but keeping pencil and paper nearby may help your child graduate to doing it in their head.

Tips: H stands for hundreds. T is for tens. U is for units, or ones.

Grade: A