Websites

Drop in on a Live Class

November 16, 2012

Fraboom is an online children’s museum packed full of games, interactive books, creativity, learning and LIVE online teachers! Fraboom TV has a variety of cartoons that teach students content-area vocabulary words. Each cartoon lists all associated vocabulary words so teachers can quickly find a video that will support learning. Drawing classes with live teachers start every hour on the hour. Students can drop into a class and learn how to draw cartoons. There is a new challenge every day, so content is always fresh. Students can interact with teachers through the chat feature; students type a message and the teacher responds to them by name. Fraboom cartoon characters introduce…

Hack Your School Green

November 1, 2012

Sponsored by Youth Rock the Rebuild and Architecture for Humanity, the Guerrilla Green Sustainable Showdown invites teams of middle school and high school students across the United States to submit their ideas for making their school more eco-friendly. Ideas may range from a small change in a school garden to a new, crazy window system. However, this is not just an ideas competition; it is also an implementation initiative. Winning teams will be given cash to build or organize their ideas. The competition has three rounds. In round 1, The Elite Eight (best plan) will receive $1,000; in round 2, The Final Four (best implemented…

Get the Q&A Started

November 1, 2012

What was a hot hairstyle for the founding fathers? What does the famous poem “The Raven” have in common with a scientific text about mollusks? How can you tell when the writing is on the wall? Questions like these can come alive for you and your students at the Smithsonian Institution’s Seriously Amazing website. Click Here to Visit Website This information is provided as a courtesy for BISD teachers and inclusion here does not indicate an endorsement by the district. It is important to thoroughly evaluate a website before using it with students. For help with this please contact the Learning Technologies…

Dive Below the Water’s Surface—Virtually

November 1, 2012

In the five years since its launch in 2007, Google Street View has been a strictly above-ground experience. Although it has occasionally left the comfort of the open road for a river (as when it visited the Amazon) or an icy expanse (as when it documented the remote sites of Antarctica), it has never taken us down below, into the waters that cover 70 percent of our planet. Google’s new addition to Street View does just that, providing “street” view access to six of the world’s most beautiful underwater landscapes. The project—made possible throuh a partnership with the Catlin Seaview Survey—gives Google users…

Google Provides Election Website for US and Egyptian Elections

January 6, 2012

Google has put together a helpful, informative website for all things election. Find information for both U.S. and Egyptian elections! A great resource for Social Studies and Government teachers…or just anyone that wants to stay informed! You can find the website at http://www.google.com/elections/ed/us

Discuss Cameras in the Courtroom

December 12, 2011

Why can’t we watch U.S. Supreme Court proceedings on C-Span? Cameras in the Court? is an introduction to the U.S. Supreme Court on a topic that students can immediately relate to in this age of instant and universal video. There is a smiling photo of each Justice (with dates of birth and appointment to the Court) along with brief quotes about his or her views on opening the Court to cameras, based on public statements. (Most are against the “proposition.”) The website is welcoming to struggling readers. For students who are ready for more challenging material about cases that the Court has…

Track Seasonal Changes in Nature

December 12, 2011

Journey North is a free, Internet-based program that explores the interrelated aspects of seasonal change. Through interrelated investigations, students discover that sunlight drives all living systems, and they learn about the dynamic ecosystem that surrounds and connects them. Journey North for Kids is a simple, student-directed entry point to Journey North studies. Engaging stories, photos, videos and slideshows from the natural world build observation skills, inspire scientific thinking and create fertile ground for discussions and new questions. Click Here to Visit Journey North Website Click Here to Visit Journey North for Kids Website This information is provided as a courtesy for BISD teachers and inclusion here does not indicate an endorsement…

Join the Fight for Freedom on the High Seas

December 12, 2011

The USS Constitution Museum has launched a K–12, interdisciplinary curriculum about the War of 1812. The curriculum brings interactive history lessons into classrooms and homes. The museum, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, in Boston, across from “Old Ironsides,” built the curriculum to parallel the online game A Sailor’s Life for Me. This website invites students to join the fight for freedom on the high seas when they virtually enlist as sailors on board USS Constitution and travel back in time to engage in the War of 1812. The curriculum takes this history lesson one step further, offering 120 printable lesson plans and activities for the classroom that utilize history, science, math, social…

Broaden Students’ Understanding of the Middle East

December 12, 2011

Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators was written by scholars in the field of Middle Eastern studies and created in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities and three University of Chicago units—the Oriental Institute, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the eCUIP Digital Library Project. The core Foundations lesson plans help students gain a broader understanding of the Middle East. Historical Perspectives lessons compare aspects of culture before and after the advent of Islam.Classroom Connections help teachers explore and share their newfound knowledge with students. Each learning module contains scholarly essays to help frame the issues and examine stereotypes. For each learning module, high school…

Integrate Digital Content into Your Curriculum

December 12, 2011

Discovery Education has joined CDW-G and SMART Technologies in creating Web 20.11, an online destination for teachers seeking helpful techniques and strategies to assist them in integrating digital content into their curriculum. Web 20.11 offers free resources in media literacy, Internet safety, Web 2.0, presentation tools and blogs from education experts. Teachers can also enter the Web 20.11 Tech Tune-Up Sweepstakes for a chance to be the grand-prize winner of an AverMedia AverVision F50 Document Camera, a trip to ISTE 2012 in San Diego and a $1,500 digital media grant from Discovery Education. Two runners-up will receive a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. Deadline: December 31, 2011 Click Here for More Information This…