Tracie's Place

A Moment of Science

2011-10-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

A Moment of Science is the Webpage of a public radio/television program that presents two-minute vignettes that make you think “Wow, that’s neat!” and go tell somebody else about it. There’s no end to the topics covered, and you the listener can add to the list by sending us questions.

These vignettes remove some of the mystery from science, but not the wonder. With a new program every day, there’s no end to the topics covered, and you the listener can add to the list by sending us questions.

A Moment of Science is produced at Indiana University, Bloomington, in cooperation with IU’s scientific community, and scientists around the world.

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Carrot Sticks

2011-10-03T12:37:00.002-05:00

Carrot Sticks is an online multiplayer game that improves math skills and understanding as students practice and/or compete with other students. Playing Carrot Sticks means solving math problems, step by step, in a uniform way. Through repeated practice, Carrot Sticks kids build valuable speed and memory.

The game is free when played during school hours. Just click Classroom Setup to get your own school link.

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Get the Math

2011-09-26T14:35:00.001-05:00

GET THE MATH is designed to help students understand real-world applications of Algebra I. A series of interrelated video segments and interactive tools support student learning of algebra concepts related to music, fashion, and videogames. Teacher resources include videos of a New Jersey teacher using Get the Math materials in his classroom, as well as lesson plans with student handouts.

Watch the video below to see how one teacher uses the videos in his class.

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DocsTeach

2011-02-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

At DocsTeach, you can turn your students into historians with primary-source based activities that develop historical thinking skills. Activities are ready to use in your classroom. Or alter an existing activity to fit your unique needs. Exchange primary source documents and modify activity instructions. Log in to borrow from an even larger selection from fellow educators.

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TutPup

2011-02-28T11:07:00.002-06:00

Tutpup is a free math and spelling practice site. Each game is competitive, so students can see how they measure up with other students, motivating them to work at their math-facts and speed up.

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our courts -- 21st century civics

2010-05-19T13:31:00.002-05:00

Our Courts is "a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy."

"Our Courts is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that civics teachers need better materials and support." Through interactive games, students debate landmark Supreme Court cases, work for a Supreme Court justice, and interact with clients at a law firm. Our Courts includes online games that can be played in one class period and are accompanied lots of teacher resources!

http://www.ourcourts.org/default.php

In the classroom:

-Have students work through an interactive game and then use lesson plans to reinforce the learning.

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Lightning Bug -- "helping you write a story from beginning to THE END"

2010-05-19T12:57:00.004-05:00

Lightning Bug is an excellent resource for teachers who want to introduce story writing into the classroom. The site, created by Martin Jorgensen, guides students through each stage of the writing process and includes teacher resources.
http://www.lightningbug.com.au/

In (and out) of the classroom:

- Link to the site from your school page for students to use with in-class and at-home writing projects.

- Reserve a mobile lab, and have the students use the site as a guide as they work through a story.

- Teachers can use the teacher resources to supplement lessons.

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50 Incredible, Historical Speeches You Should Watch Online

2010-05-03T11:51:00.015-05:00

50 Incredible, Historical Speeches You Should Watch Online is as it says, a list of 50 online speeches which are divided in these categories:

-Commencement Addresses

-Presidential Speeches

-Society and Culture

-War and Peace

-Politics

In the Classroom

Though most of the speeches are hosted on YouTube and may not be accessible from student logins, they are still an awesome classroom resource. Check out the ideas below for using the speeches in YOUR classroom.

-Use Zamzar to download speeches for student use. (adhering to Copyright Guidelines.)

-Embed speeches in teacher presentations. (Instructions)

-Have students take notes of important themes in the speech and import the notes into Wordle or Tagxedo to create a word cloud. (See sample lesson plan.)

Lure of the Labyrinth

2010-04-29T11:39:00.000-05:00

Lure of the Labyrinth is a math game for middle school students that math teacher Brenda Gordon shared with me. According to the educator page, "Lure of the Labyrinth is a digital game for middle-school pre-algebra students. It includes a wealth of intriguing math-based puzzles wrapped into an exciting narrative game in which students work to find their lost pet - and save the world from monsters! Linked to national standards, the game gives students a chance to actually think like mathematicians."

In the classroom:

See the lesson plans for the site.

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Animated Research Tutorials

2010-04-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Richard Byrne's blog, Free Technology for Teachers, introduced me to 4 free animated web tutorials created to help students with web research strategies. The tutorials, which are on the Vaughn Memorial Library at Acadia University website, include:

Credible Sources Count,
Research It Right,
Searching With Success,
You Quote It, You Note It

In the Classroom:

Show the movie of your choice on the big screen with a projector. Have students take notes, fill in a worksheet, or create a web over the information in the movie.
Divide students into four groups. Have each group watch one movie and become "experts" on their movie, then teach their topic to classmates.
After students watch these tutorials, have them create their own, maybe for the topic they are researching. Sites for online animation include: Xtranormal, ipopetz.tv, Go!Animate, FluxtimeStudio.
Be sure to check that your students can acess the animation site from school.

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Live Binders

2010-04-19T12:06:00.002-05:00

LiveBinders are an easy way to organize and share information online. Think of LiveBinders as three-ring binders online. Watch the video to learn about the LiveBinders.

In the Classroom:

Use LiveBinders to organize resources for each of your units.
Link from your school webpage to your LiveBinders to share resources with your students.
E-mail the URL of your LiveBinders to colleagues.
Have students create their own LiveBinders.
Search LiveBinders for resources used by others.

Sample LiveBinders:

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The Periodic Table of Videos

2010-04-19T11:14:00.006-05:00

The Periodic Table of Videos is a collection of videos for each of the elements that is great for use by teachers in the classroom. Each video contains closed caption translations. The videos are stored on YouTube, so if that site is blocked for your students, they will not be able to see them here, either.

In the Classroom:

Use element videos to introduce the study of elements.
Use the videos as examples, and have students create their own video about an assigned element.

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Math Snacks

2010-04-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

Math Snacks are online videos that can be downloaded for ipods that teach math concepts. Each video is accompanied by teacher and student resources.

For the Classroom:

Use Math Snacks at the beginning of a lesson to engage students.
Have students create their own Math Snacks using Flip cameras, Photostory3, MovieMaker or other products.

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World Digital Library

2010-04-19T10:41:00.004-05:00

World Digital Library brings museums from around the world into your classroom. WDL is a multilingual collection of manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and other culturnal treasures. Use this site to "discover, study, and enjoy cultural treasures from around the world on one site, in a variety of ways."

For the Classroom:
Why use Primary Sources in the Classroom?

Newspaper Reporter~Have students answer the 5 "W" questions about the primary source, and then use the answers to write a headline and lead paragraph for a newspaper article.
Type the newspaper article in at http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/newspaper-clipping-generator/
What is it?~Students make a hypothesis about an item from the WDL and then conduct further research to support or refute their educated guess.
Show and Tell~Students research an item from the WDL and prepare a presentation for their classmates.
Writing Analysis~Students decipher the writing of an original document then compare their work to a printed copy of the original.

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Tagxedo - Wordle on Steroids

2010-04-15T09:57:00.010-05:00

Tagxedo is an online application that allows users to create custom images from words. It is similar to Wordle, but Tagxedo is Wordle on steroids. Check out more examples in the gallery.

For the classroom:

Students and teachers can use Tagxedo to review and present key facts and thoughts about:

people (book characters, scientists, historical figures, students . . .)
places (cities, countries, continents . . . current and past)
things (parts of speech, animals, vocabulary words, wars, events . . .)
ideas (freedom, democracy, prejudice, family . . .)

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About Tracie

2010-04-09T12:57:00.014-05:00

Hi!

I’m Tracie Cain, and I created Tracie’s Place to be a real resource for real teachers.

As 24 year veteran educator, I know that teachers are often overwhelmed with the everyday duties of the classroom, and simply do not have to time to search the Internet for ways to incorporate technology into the learning process. So, my goal is that Tracie's Place would be an simple way for teachers to learn about new sites and tools and see how those innovative technologies can be used with students.

Currently, I’m an instructional technology specialist at a middle school in north central Texas. This is my eleventh year helping teachers use technology to enhance instruction. My experience includes teaching language arts, business, Webmastering, digital graphics, occupational investigation, and serving as district librarian and technology coordinator.

My husband is a high school football coach who is also a great teacher. We have three amazing kids who keep us busy running from place to place.

I encourage you to help Tracie’s Place become your place - - a place where you can come for ideas and inspiration. Send me a note at mrstcain@gmail.com or leave your own comments with suggestions. After all, I want Tracie’s Place to be a real resource for real teachers - - like YOU!!

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