I just read today that Tech and Learning has released their Top 100 Educator Sites for 2011.  I am so excited!  There are over 20 items that I have not even heard of before and can’t wait to try them out.

One new site that I found really useful was WatchKnowLearn. This site has  hundreds of thousands of  short videos and other media for teaching content to your students. The videos are rated and sorted into a  easily searchable directory.  This site is not blocked at our schools.

Little Bird Tales is another site that I found extremely user friendly and amazing for educators.  Teachers create an account and the can upload their student names quickly and easily.  It allows students to create stories, add text, voice, and drawings.    It is a safe web environment for children, free of advertising, merchandising and links to other sites.  I am going to use this with an art teacher and I will get you back to you on the results.

Filed under: Technology Classes  | | 1 Comment »

Thank you to Richard Byrne from Free Technology for Teachers for sharing an article about a great addition to DropBox that can be used with your students called Dropittome.  It is where you can securely receive files from anyone to your Dropbox.  Ever wish you could easily receive files from your students without requiring them to have email?   Now you can!   Together with Dropbox you can setup an unique upload address with password protection where students can upload files directly to your Dropbox account safely.  

I am an avid Dropbox user since my external hard drive crashed last year at Christmas.  I hyperventilated and then created an account on Dropbox where I can access my files from any computer, anyplace or anytime.    I live and die by dropbox but the next question is how can I get files from my students without them having to have an email address.  Dropittome is the answer.  I created a quick account with a student password for uploading and shared the link with them.  Now my students can do work from the lab, home, laptops and safely and securely upload their work to me in seconds.

To read Richard Byrnes entire article:  http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/11/try-dropittome-to-collect-assignments.html

To create a dropbox account:  https://www.dropbox.com

To create a DropitTome site:  http://dropitto.me/

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Did you know that all your parents can have a virtual snapshot of how their students are doing on Accelerated Reader?

With the newly purchased Renaissance Place program we now have Home Connect which improves the school-to-home connection by allowing parents and students to log in to a Web site and view the student’s reading and math practice and progress towards goals.

Access to online results promotes discussion between parents and students, which motivates students and can make reading and math practice even more effective. In addition, parents can specify up to six email addresses to receive automatic updates in English or Spanish on their student’s math and reading progress.

Renaissance Home Connect is accessible to all Accelerated Reader Enterprise, Accelerated Math Enterprise, and MathFacts in a Flash customers.

How do I get started?

1.  Sign in to Renaissance Place

2.  Click Reports on the Renaissance Place Real Time Home page

3.  Print the Informational Letter in English or Spanish to be sent home with the student.

Yes, it is that simple.  Email me if you want a further information for using this great new tool with out parents.

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Happy Friday!

In the past few weeks, I have trained at the individual schools on Study Island.  During those trainings it came to my attention that the directions on the site were not very clear on how to seamlessly use SMART Response Clickers with Study Island.  I spoke with the educational professional consultant at SMART and she sent me the below directions with pictures to make the process easier.

Please feel free to share!

Integrating SMART Response and Study Island Tutorial

SMART Response/Study Island Quick Start Guide

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		Find a Sale Near You & Get Additional Savings! You’re Invited to Save 25% to 80% Off Everything at Our Exclusive Holiday Warehouse Book Sale! Plus, get a coupon worth $10-$25 off your total purchase price here! Our Holiday Events will take place November 29-December 21, 2011. Dates and locations vary. To find a Warehouse Book Sale near you go to our Sign Up page. Join us at our special holiday book sale, exclusively for librarians, teachers, school and district employees, home schoolers, Book Fair chairpeople, and school volunteers. You’ll find low, low prices just in time for the holidays. • Great way to refresh school, home, and classroom libraries! • Maximize Title I funding and purchase order dollars. • Most items discounted at least 50%. • Get more, save more with Build-a-BOX! (Participating locations only.) Fill a Build-a-BOX with books of your choice from a specially selected collection of clearance items. Pay only $24.95 plus tax for each box you build. Locations participating in Build-a-BOX are identified with this symbol. Find a Sale Near You & Get Additional Savings!

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A note from our SMART Educational Consultant:

SMART Technologies would like to invite you to  join us for a webinar to learn about the new and innovative ways in which SMART Technologies aligns with your goals to improve your teacher and student achievement in 21st Century Classrooms.

If you are unable to view the webinar live – please register to receive access to a recorded version to be viewed at a later time.

SMART Technologies

Kali Parker

Education Consulting- Georgia

Phone: +1.404.295.0790

kaliparker@smarttech.com

www.smarttech.com

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WHO
The opportunity to apply for an Innovation Grant is open to all Georgia teachers, media specialists, counselors, or any combination of persons within a school setting.

WHAT
A maximum of four (4) Innovation Grants will be awarded per calendar year, the total amount of money awarded per year not to exceed $10,000.

WHEN
Application Deadline: February 1, 2012
Award Announcement: March 1, 2012

DEADLINE
All completed applications should be sent electronically to Ed Mitchell ( emitchell@gaetc.org) on or before February 1, 2012, by 4:00 pm.

SELECTION PROCEDURE
Innovation Grants will be judged and scored based on the published rubric. Applicants must agree to implement the approved grant initiative and expend all awarded funds prior to June 1, 2012. Grantees are expected to present during the 2012 Georgia Educational Technology Conference. Questions regarding the grant should be directed to Ed Mitchell.

APPLICATION

RUBRIC

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SMART Technologies

Kali Parker

Education Consulting- Georgia

Phone: +1.404.295.0790

kaliparker@smarttech.com

www.smarttech.com

Ask me about becoming a SMART Certified Education Consultant

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Dear GALILEO users,

New sessions for the fall have been added to the GALILEO training schedule, including webinars for newbies, old hands, and people who just need refreshers. A partial list is below; visit the training registration page to find out more. Other sessions are being added, so check back or watch your e-mail for future training announcements. Please share this e-mail with others at your institution who may not be on the Listserv.

Training registration at http://help.galileo.usg.edu/librarians/training/

Upcoming sessions:

Meet GALILEO (elementary, middle, and high school sessions)

eBooks on EBSCOhost (formerly NetLibrary)

ProQuest Platform Overview

LexisNexis Academic Overview

GALILEO Search: Optimizing Federated Searching

Georgia Career Information Systems: Job and Career Resources in Your Public Library (basic and advanced)

ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health

GALILEO News is available at: http://about.galileo.usg.edu/news/

GALILEO E-Mail List: http://help.galileo.usg.edu/librarians/galileo_e-mail_list/

GALILEO System Status Announcements Feed: http://status.galileo.usg.edu/site/feed/

(FROM)

Karen Minton

GALILEO Support Services

Library Services

Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

2500 Daniells Bridge Road, Building 300

Athens, GA  30606-3539

Phone:  (888) 875-3697    Fax:  (706) 583-2294

karen.minton@usg.edu   http://www.galileo.usg.edu

Filed under: Technology Classes  |   Tagged under ebooks, EBSCOhost, Galileo, GALILEO Search, Georgia Careet Information Systems, LexisNexis, ProQuest, Schedule, Training, Webinars | No Comments »

The new year has begun and it is time to dust off our SMART boards and bring interactivity into our lessons.  I have updated my blog tab called SMART Stuff with new websites and checked to make certain all the oldies but goodies were still active.  Please go there and find some great sites, lessons, activities, that you can integrate into your curriculum.  The Smithsonian Virtual Museum is one of my favorites (my son and I went here before we took our trip to DC).

I am working on updating the rest of the tabs so please feel free to email me any great sites you have come across and I will add those too.  Finally, all great technology and curriculum websites that I come across can be found at http://www.delicious.com/sbuckalew.

Have a great and SMART day!

Filed under: Educational Websites, SMART  |   Tagged under Best Sites, Curriculum, Education, free, Interactive, Interactive Activities, Interactive Website, Language Arts, lesson plans, literature, Math, NASA, Science, SMART, SMART Board, Social Studies, Space, Technology, Web 2.0, Websites of the Day | No Comments »