I wanted to share with you a work-in-progress, but exciting website: BardBytes. BardBytes, aptly summarized by its title, is an effort to bridge the gap between the Elizabethan Era and the 21st century classroom by providing educators with modern Shakespearean resources. Resources are categorized into history, tragedy, comedy and poetry, and then by individual plays. … Continue reading »
Sounds a little farfetched, I know, but it is true! At Free Rice, every question you answer correctly donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. This website is a wonderful way for students to practice important subject skills and simultaneously learn about charity and world hunger. More information, data and … Continue reading »
A while ago, when I was searching the web for creative ideas for writing prompts, I came Writing Prompts. This is Tumblr weblog run by educator Luke Neff, who posts a new, visually appealing writing prompt each day (or almost each day). These are fantastic and creative, and often encourage higher level thinking from students. All of … Continue reading »
QR codes have been growing in popularity in the news, in social media, and in education. Recently, I came across this great generator from ClassTools that allows you to develop scavenger hunts using QR codes paired with individual questions. Here’s how it works. First, create the quiz: Make sure you have your students download a QR … Continue reading »
What is Google Forms? Google Forms is in essence a free survey software available to users as a larger part of Google Docs. With a Google account, users can easily create surveys, polls, and forms with a drag-and-drop interface. Question types include multiple choice, drop-down choices, short answer, rating scales, and more. Users can also … Continue reading »
Today marks my first day at the new job, teaching technology to tenth graders in Baltimore City Public Schools. I have three class periods in the morning, and am done for the day by noon, which gives me plenty of time for graduate schoolwork and writing to you! In class this week, we are finishing … Continue reading »
Due to the popularity of my post Pinterest – Turning Procrastination into Classroom Preparation, I’ve decided to follow up with ways to use Pinterest with students. When using Pinterest, keep in mind that not all pins are safe and secure, and monitoring will be necessary to ensure students don’t stumble upon inappropriate content. Nonetheless, Pinterest provides … Continue reading »
Privacy Playground is an online game about cyber safety designed for students ages 8-10. In the game the main characters, three CyberPigs, play online and encounter various marketing tactics and spam traps. The game uses a science-fiction appeal with multiple choice questions and mini-activities to educate students on the kinds of marketing strategies used online. The goal … Continue reading »
In the third grade I was lucky enough to spend an hour in the computer lab each work working on typing skills with my classmates. Although at the time retyping “ASDF, JKL;” over and over was tedious and boring, I am now eternally grateful for having been required to learn how to type. Increasingly when … Continue reading »
We all know and often roll our eyes when someone tries to get us to participate in an icebreaker, so break from the norm and try something a little more exciting than Two Truths and a Lie. Recently, I was watching a trailer for Exit Through The Gift Shop, a film about Banksy, a world famous … Continue reading »
