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Teachers' Corner
STaR Chart
The GISD
Acceptable Use Policy
IGPro Instructions:
Basic
Instructions
Home use
Exporting Grades
Individual Progress
Reports
Adding a
New 9-Weeks Spreadsheet
Setup
New Classes
Classxp Basics
Setting Your
Default Printer
Connecting a
Projector to a Computer
Windows Tutorials
Groupwise
Tutorial
Archiving Email
Publishing Your Web Page
Updating Your Web Page
Application Tutorials
Phone
Tutorial
Useful Links:
TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS TEACHER NETWORK
http://www.techappsnetwork.org/
There are some excellent lesson plans available at the TATN (Technology
Applications Teacher Network) Website which provides resources for
implementing the Technology Applications TEKS and for addressing the
technology literacy and integration requirements for students and
teachers outlined in NCLB. There are many new resources available on
the website. Lesson plans and project resources generated from the 2007
Technology Applications Best Practices Event, a part of the Texas
Computer Education Association (TCEA) Pre-Conference, are provided.
Additionally, each of the Education Service Centers provides relevant
information including contact names, certification offerings, and
specific events related to the professional development available in
their geographic area. The TATN website also contains discussion boards
to encourage dialogue among educators across the state. The website
includes model classroom lessons, resources, activities, and assessment
rubrics.
BRAIN SCRAMBLE:
Tickle that brain, wake it up; in fact, give it good scratching with these
brain scramblers. Visit each day to exercise your students' brains and give
them a good morning workout.
PODCASTING:
Most likely you've all heard about podcasting by now. Do you
download or listen to any podcasts? If so, what do you like
about them? Today you get to work in groups to create your own
podcast proposal. What school issues would you like to cover?
What topics appeal to teens? Would you like to include music
discussions or favorite playlists? Debates over fashion,
lunches, or sports? Pick the topics and create your proposal for
a podcast - think of it like a radio show if that helps, and
create an outline on what the main topic is, what will be
covered under that topic, who - if anyone - will be interviewed,
how long the podcast will be, etc. Don't forget to include which
team members will be responsible for different sub-topics, who
will be narrating, and who will be your techies. If your class
decides to actually do your podcasts, then write out your
materials, pass it by your teacher, and collaborate as a class
to create your program. You can use Audacity - a free sound
editor:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and a step-by-step
podcasting tutorial:
http://www.podcastingnews.com/articles/How-to-Podcast.html |
MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL TEST TAKING TIPS:
Some of these tips might seem like common sense, but we're not always
aware of that facility when tests appear and cause anxiety. You may wish
to review these tips with your middle and high school students; whether
they're taking exit exams, standardized tests, the ACT, or the SAT,
they're sure to find them helpful.
EVALUATING WEBSITES:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
Here is a great checklist to help your students understand how to use the
internet for research, and especially how to determine the quality and
appropriateness of the various websites they may come across doing a search.
FINDING AND EVALUATING WEBSITES:
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/usingweb/g6-8.html
Your students will almost certainly be using the internet for research
projects. Use this guided student activity to help them find and select
quality websites.
MARCOPOLO:
www.marcopolo-education.org
MarcoPolo is an easy-to-use collection of premier lesson plans, student
activities and student interactives that is available 24/7 to any educator
with internet access.
MIDDLE SCHOOL RESEARCH MODULES:
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/middle.html
Student research activities are well-developed in these middle school
modules across the curriculum, for use in libraries or media labs. Each
module contains a central question, a task, a product, research guidelines,
help for organization, report guidelines, and assessments.
COPYRIGHT QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
http://www.nacs.org/public/copyright/
FREE EDUCATIONAL CLIPART:
http://www.teacherfiles.com/clip_art.htm
Educational Headers, Words and Signs, Text Boxes, and numerous other categories
are available in this educational clipart selection.
NEW TEACHERS' GUIDEBOOK, PLANS, &
FORMS:
http://hannahmeans.bizland.com/
How do you grade your various class projects? Do you have a solid and effective
classroom management plan all set up? Do you need some ideas to help you get
organized and started? Find ideas here for all of the above, as well as a sample
first day schedule to help you prepare for your own entry into the classroom.
LEARNING UP TO THE VERY LAST MINUTE:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/learningtilllastmin.htm
As your school year moves into the last weeks, students' minds are often
occupied by warm weather and all the promises it brings. How can you maintain
their attention? Find some suggestions here for inspiring activities.
EVALUATING WEBSITES TOOL:
http://www.2learn.ca/evaluating/evaluating.html
This online reference tool will help students to critically examine and analyze
any potential websites they may wish to use for reference and research, through
a guided step-by-step process.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
http://www.4teachers.org
Available to help you integrate technology into your classroom, 4Teachers.org
offers free online tools and resources. This Web site also provides links to
computing tutorials, grant information, technology planning and professional
development resources around the Web.
INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS IN THE
CLASSROOM
http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/tutorials/whiteboards.html
This is a great site that includes several ideas and links to use with
interactive white boards. This page was created by Resource Materials and
Technology Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. And please remember to go to
SMART Techs website in the education area and find several lessons that teachers
have created.
http://www.smarttech.com/
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
RESOURCES:
http://www.sde.com/Conferences/Differentiated-Instruction/DIResources.htm
If differentiated instruction is an issue for you in your classroom or as an
educator, you will find a wealth of related and relevant resources here. Topics
are divided into four main categories: Differentiating Textbooks (with graphic
organizers, tips for homework, readability formulas, and selecting reading
material); Understanding Expository Text-books; Differentiated Instruction (with
Avoiding the Pitfalls, Word Maps, Overactive Students, etc.); and dealing with
poverty issues.
MOTIVATING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
USING TECHNOLOGY:
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/using_tech.phtml
The premise in this article for middle school teachers is that middle school
students will become more engaged in their learning process, and thus more
enthusiastic, when they take responsibility and become active participants.
Hence technology-based instruction can become an important strategy in your
teaching; find a discussion and tips here.
Teachers, do you have a question
that you'd like to ask Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings? The U.S.
Department of Education has established "Teachers Ask the Secretary," a new
feature of the Department's Web site. It's available at
http://www.ed.gov (select
"Teachers") or you may go directly to
http://www.ed.gov/teachersask.
This easy-to-use page will help teachers find answers on a wide range of
subjects: teacher quality, professional development, state academic standards
and more. The Department will share best practices and success stories under the
No Child Left Behind Act and listen to your concerns.
The page will be updated regularly to highlight as many topics as possible.
More information about the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher
Initiative is available at:
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/about/information.html
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/index.jsp
TrackStar is your starting point for online lessons and activities.
Simply collect Web sites, enter them into TrackStar, add annotations for your
students, and you have an interactive, online lesson called a Track. Create your
own Track or use one of the hundreds of thousands already made by other
educators. Search the database by subject, grade, or theme and standard for a
quick and easy activity. There is a fun Track already made for each day of the
year, too!
http://utopia.utexas.edu/
UT site with
ready-to-use lesson plans. Start with the TAB labeled Educators; select your
grade, subject and SEARCH!
TEACHER FORMS AND LETTERS:
http://www.teachertools.org/forms_dynam.asp
Download all kinds of useful forms, letters, and templates for teaching, from
behavior documentation and journals, to tracking detention, tardy warnings,
referral letters to notify parents of discipline or learning problems, to
learning logs, grade sheets, and more.
HOW TO SIMPLIFY YOUR GRADING LOAD:
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/grading.html
If you're finding yourself mired in paperwork, especially of the grading
variety, then try out a few of these tips to minimize the quantity of time and
effort you put into your grading practices, while still giving quality feed-back
and results.
HIERARCHICAL NOTES:
http://www.englishcompanion.com/pdfDocs/toolpyramid.pdf
Find a printable template here for students to use when planning their essays,
reports, and research papers, where the main idea is noted at the top of the
pyramid, and supporting ideas build the base.
http://www.topteachingresources.com
From the folks at New York-based educational software company Merit Software, "TopTeachingResources.com" aims to create a place online where busy teachers can turn for
access to a wealth of technology-based learning materials, including a database
of available grants, funding, discounted teaching supplies, free lesson plans,
reference manuals, and dictionaries--plus, links to the latest educational news,
web sites, and information pertaining to educational software. Whether you're
teaching English, math, reading, or science, the web site boasts a searchable
database of lesson plans and classroom activities organized by grade level--from
elementary teaching aids to high school lesson plans. There is also a separate
library of supplementary materials and interventions aligned with state
standards, including resources for teaching English as a second language and
other traditionally hard-to-reach students. But that's not all. Short on
provisions for your school or classroom? The site also maintains a list of links
to various school supply web sites, so teachers can keep their supply closets
stocked--and their kids learning.
Blue Web'n
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn
Blue Web'n is an online library of more than 1,700 outstanding
internet sites categorized by subject, grade level, and format (lessons,
activities, projects, resources, references, and tools). You can search by grade
level, broad subject area, or specific sub-categories. Each week, five new sites
are added-and you can get a list and description of these sites by signing up
for free weekly updates via eMail.
WHEN STUDENTS HAVEN'T DONE THE READING:
http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/TA/tips/read.html
Included on this list of addressing problems when students fail to complete
reading assignments, is not to summarize the reading; have your students do the
summaries instead. Troubleshooting tips, strategies for active reading, and ways
to avoid the problem are all included.
DRAMATIC IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM:
http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/TA/tips/drama.html
You have prepared for your classes by mastering the subject matter, and while
you find the topic interesting, your students do not always respond with the
same degree of enthusiasm. Find ways here to increase the dramatic appeal of
your subject, presenting your material in ways that students will easily relate
to.
CHECKING FOR STUDENT UNDERSTANDING:
http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/TA/tips/understanding.pdf
Instead of merely counting on students to understand class material and to
retain essential elements, you may need to address methods in helping them to
distinguish important terms and concepts. Find strategies here, along with tips
to check for understanding during your class time.
http://www.teachersfirst.com
A site filled with useful information, ideas, lessons, and links to other great
sites.
HOMEWORKOPOLY:
http://www.teachnet.com/homeworkopoly/index.html
If the homework pages just aren't coming in on time--or at all--or if you're
receiving too many excuses, then try this take on getting homework accomplished.
Each time the student hands in their homework allows them to shake the dice and
move their player on the game board. Instructions, game board printouts, and
game pieces are all available here. Think of instituting this method as homework
policy at the beginning of your school year.
WORD TURTLE -- MAKE YOUR OWN PUZZLE:
http://www.funbrain.com/detect/index.html
Select your level--easy, medium, hard, or super hard, and then choose either
"Play Against Yourself" for students, or click on make your own puzzle
to print out a student worksheet. You can theme these puzzles for class reading
selections, spelling units, or science, geography, etc. revisions of terms.
REVIEW GAMES:
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/reviewgames.html
Do you need some ideas to help your students study for exams? Try Football
Review, Baseball Review, Bingo, or Jeopardy to make reviews fun. Find
instructions here.
TECHNIQUES FOR WORKING WITH BEHAVIOR CHALLENGES:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plans/lesson-7242.html
Every classroom has them and every teacher will experience them--the behavioral
problems that really present a challenge. Find some strategies here for dealing
with them in a positive manner in your own classroom.
11 TECHNIQUES FOR BETTER CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE:
http://www.honorlevel.com/techniques.xml
From focusing to non-verbal cueing, here are some practical, tested techniques
to help you manage discipline in your classroom, concentrating primarily on
low-profile and positive strategies.
TEACHING ODDS AND ENDS:
http://home.att.net/~teaching/oddsends.htm
Find blackline masters, activities, worksheets, print- able reports, forms,
passes, and charts at this excellent teacher resource site.
TEMPLATE GALLERY FOR TEACHERS:
http://www.field-trips.org/tours/lounge/forms/_tourlaunch1.htm
This online field trip for teachers takes you through the resources offered by
Microsoft for building or using educational templates. Make full use of your
software capabilities by becoming well acquainted with both what's offered and
how to make best use of it.
BRAIN BUSTERS:
http://www.brainconnection.com/teasers/?main=quiz/buster/37
Just exactly how does your brain function? How much do your students know about
the brain? Test them with this weekly fun challenge.
CLASS SET-UP TOOL:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_setup/
Try this online virtual classroom designer to help you optimize your own
classroom setup. You can even enter all your students' names to assigned
seats, and then print out your new, effective masterpiece.
A PRIMER ON BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT:
http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/Primer.html
There are four stages of being a teacher: the shiny new one, the shell shocked
educator, the Discipline Dictator, and the skilled, caring teacher. With its
share of humor and wit, cartoons, quotes, and exercises, find some advice here
on behavior management in the classroom.
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST:
http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/BehManCheckList.html
New teachers are often most apprehensive of classroom management skills. Find a
checklist here to see if you are indeed ready to step into the classroom.
THE SCIENCE OF CREATIVITY:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/02/022101_leonardo.jhtml
No doubt about it, Leonardo da Vinci was a genius. How about your students? Can
they learn to think like great inventors and geniuses? Find several tips here to
help boost student creativity and explore the notions of what it means to be
creative.
WEBQUEST LOCATOR:
http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/DP/
If you visit the Webquest Locator, you'll find hundreds of webquests
categorized by subject area and grade level.
PUZZLE MAKERS
http://www.varietygames.com/CW/
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/crossword/
CONDUCT CARDS:
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/resources/conduct.htm
One teacher has come up with a clever, inexpensive way to track and record
student conduct throughout the year, where parents cannot dispute the behavior
and students sign for their own missing assignments, late homework, broken
rules, etc.
RUBRICS FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS:
http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/resrub.html
By now, some of your initial research projects may be well into the planning
stages. Find sample rubrics here to help guide your grading scores on student
research reports.
POPCORN ECONOMICS:
http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/lessons/popcorn.htm
How good is this? Students get to use popcorn in class time to complete their
activities with this economics lesson plan. Capital resources, natural
resources, and scarcity are all part of the concepts learned here, in learning
that productive resources are limited and students themselves must make choices
between goods and services.
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