Abby Who?

I love that scene in Young Frankenstein when Igor is sent to get a brain. He is supposed to get the brain of a scientist/saint. However, he drops that brain and picks up another brain.

Later, Dr. Frankenstein questions him, and he tells him it is the brain of Abby Normal.



Those, and many other scenes in that movie always crack me up!

Today's site is a fun little beta site that will have your students making their own memorable movies.


Xtranormal
Xtranormal is a site where students type in text that is converted to an animated movie scene. Students pick the characters, scenery, actions and extras, then type in the dialogue. The scene is converted to a movie in seconds. A movie can be made and viewed, but not saved, without creating an account. Accounts appear to be free, at least while in beta.
This could be used in every subject area, for character ed, bullying prevention, careers...the possibilities are endless!

Next Stop: Scripps

I was in a classroom spelling bee in second grade. I was one of the final two. We had to spell several words because we both kept spelling the words correctly. Finally, I got the word that means "purposeful forward movement by moving arms and legs in a body of water". And I spelled, "S-W-I-M-I-N-G". OK, the double consonant got me. Maybe I should have asked for the teacher to use the word in a sentence; or perhaps, the origin of the word. Still, not bad for an 8 year old.




Interactive Spelling Bee

Spelling Bee, from Anneberg Media's Learner.org, helps students practice their spelling, just like an old fashioned spelling bee. Students choose their grade level and listen to the short passage. The passage is like a cloze passage, with words missing. Students click in a blank to hear the word repeated, then type correct spelling of the word in the blank. Once all the blanks are filled, the student checks their answers, then has the option of reviewing the words or moving on to the next level. Tips and suggestions for becoming a "Top Notch Speller" are also included.

Looking to a New Year

Happy New Year all! Technically, it isn't a new year yet in the Central Time Zone, but it is close enough to create this post. For me, 2008 brought relief from back pain, an Alaskan adventure, not one, but TWO visits with my best friend Kirsti, lots of renovations to my home, the beginning of a transition in my job role, the college graduation of my daughter, and new and continued friendships which I value greatly!
I look for more great experiences in 2009. I know that 2008 hasn't quite yet ended, but as a teacher, I tend to plan ahead. Today's sites are devoted to those planners, or at least calendar watchers.

Read*Write*Think Calendar
This is an interactive lesson idea calendar produced by the esteemed Read*Write*Think, a site created by International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Simply view a month and click an event to view an interactive lesson about the topic. Great lessons for grades K-12 related to national standards and completely free.

EDSITEment Calendar
This calendar is brought to you by the National Endowment for the Humanities on their EDSITEment site. This calendar also shows topics by date which are linked to site features or lesson plans for grades K-12. All lessons are standards based and free as well.

TeacherVision Calendar
This calendar has linked topics, similar to those above, but as a subscription site, each day's topic provides multiple links to related web sites, lesson plans for grades K-12 and printables. The site allows for three free previews, then you must sign up for the free 7-day trial. Subscriptions run $39.95 a year. I couldn't find standards information, but maybe it is provided with a subscription. This site is part of the Family Education Network from Pearson Education.

It's No Mystery

Good teaching takes time. If a teacher wants to have a lesson go well, he/she has to do homework. If using a prepared lesson plan, the teacher must read through it to determine what pieces of the lesson she wants to emphasize, and what can be left out. She must also prepare materials in advance. To meet the needs of all learners, the teacher might need find a variety of resources, utilize various strategies, or plan several activities. All of this takes time.
It's no mystery. The real puzzle is, "where do they find the time?" My hats off all the teachers out there who have solved the time conundrum.

FFFBI
Fin, Fur, and Feather Bureau of Investigation is brought to you by National Geographic and WBGH. It offers mysteries to solve while teaching kids about world cultures. This humorous site integrates math, science, music and history.

ReadWriteThink
This popular sites has a couple of activities for students. The first one is called Make a Mystery Puzzle. This activity, which can be used for book clubs, has children and teens explore this popular type of writing in more detail by making a puzzle. It also encourages them to invent and write their own mysteries.
The second activity, Mystery Cube, is an interactive that helps students identify the elements of this genre.

Mystery! The Disappearance of Polleyanne Fishenchips
This fun interactive comes from PBS. Students follow the clues and use careful reading and inferences to solve the crime.

Integration

We often refer to "technology integration" as if it is a task in itself. My job title even has the phrase in it. However, the quest shouldn't be to integrate technology into the curriculum, but to use technology to integrate the curriculum.
If schools were to take this approach, it might not seem so daunting to teachers. Maybe it would even free up some time for teachers to learn new technology skills and search for resources if they were integrating subjects. Just how to integrate is the tough part though. In an elementary setting, teachers are concerned about teaching students the basics; as well they should be. In the middle and high school settings, teachers are concerned about teaching the standards for their specific curricular area so that the schools make AYP. When does one have time to integrate, and why should a teacher do another teacher's job for them?
Teaching the whole child should be the job of every teacher. Just like doing crunches alone won't get rid of that spare tire, doing math facts alone won't make an accountant. Letting go of the fear of falling test scores if you take time to teach about careers in your math class is tough for teachers. However, doesn't it make more sense to take a class period to talk about a career in math so that students see the connections between what they are doing today and where it can take them in the future, than to have the counselor come in at any random time to talk about many different careers in a 30 minute lesson? Doesn't seem like rocket science to me. But then hey, I teach P.E. so I don't have to worry about it!

Math Mastery
Math Mastery is an online math curriculum that utilizes videos to teach students in grades 2-8 math skills. The videos are engaging and interactive. The curriculum does have a cost. The cool thing I found at this site is the Daily Brains Library which is free. The library has hundreds of word problems that are categorized by subject area. The problems are relatively short and make for an easy way for math teachers to integrate science, history, geography, health, and language arts into their lessons.

Google Lit Trips
This site utilizes Google Earth to combine literature, geography, and history for a wonderful cross curricular experience for students.

So I Don't Know Everything

It's true! I should feel happy that my bosses (yes, I have more than one of 'em) mostly feel like I do know everything, but I don't. Take today for example. Our district offers free college credits for graduate classes that we offer in our district through a college. This is a wonderful form of staff development for our staff because we get to push topics that we want them to learn by offering them as courses, and our teachers get a free college credit while learning right along with their colleagues.
The problem? I am not in the least prepared to teach a class that I am supposed to teach beginning this Thursday! The class is on utilizing a Promethean board in the classroom. I was planning on teaching it with another tech consultant, but the enrollment isn't high enough to warrant two instructors. I was relying heavily on his expertise. Yikes!
Therefore, I am cramming tonight, and will be for the next two nights on Promethean skills!
Calling all readers: I will HAPPILY accept any and all links to resources for ActivStudio!
Note: This post contains an unusually large number of exclamation points! I thought about editing some out, but then you wouldn't feel my desperation!

Promethean Planet Widget
I found this nifty widget to post on my iGoogle page that shows the latest flipcharts posted on Promethean Planet.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We completed our fall parent/teacher conferences this evening. I heard a few teachers say that there seemed to be a decrease in attendance. They were speculating that the web access to grades was probably the reason. Could it be that conferences will one day a thing of the past? This school year, we plan to email report cards. Seems sad to me that the student doesn't get the opportunity to rip open that envelope to see those grades. And what about all the community activities tied to bringing in a report card to get free video rentals, ice cream cones, etc? Times, they are a changin'!

Scriblink
I had fun this evening playing with Scriblink in between visiting with parents about that online grade access. Scriblink is an online whiteboard that allows many to interact. There is a built in equation editor, a chat feature, and the ability to print, save, or send files. Very straight forward and easy to use. Excellent for online or IDL classes.

Allergy Forecast

For those of us that suffer seasonal allergies, the forecast is not good. I am sniffling, sneezing, itching and wheezing, and today's forecast is only medium. How am I going to feel this weekend when the forecast is stratospheric?
This year, I am swearing off prescription allergy medication. I am tired (literally) of taking it. It turns me into an 80 year old, wrinkly insomniac. I have opted to try a homeopathic remedy this year...honey. I have heard that taking as little as a teaspoon a day of locally-harvested honey provides enough pollens to build up an immunity. We will see. It is truly a sweet test!
Because I promised science sites yesterday, and they were more well-rounded, today I am offering up one of the best science sites that I discovered last year.

Teacher's Domain
http://www.teachersdomain.org/ offers public television content in the form of video, audio, interactives and images for the classroom. Free registration required to access the high quality content.

Weird Science

What a great 80's movie. How funny Gary and Wyatt, those geeky teenagers, were. And the hairstyles of the girls in the movie...I worked hard to get my hair to look just like that! I still have to sit and watch it any time I see it when I am flipping through the channels on my television!
Today's sites are science related sites.

LearnAlberta
LearnAlberta.ca is a not-for-profit learning object repository that is maintained by Learning Technologies Branch of Alberta Education, the Government of Alberta's department of education. It provides access to licensed and unlicensed digital resources designed for the grades K-12. Guest access is available. Videos, interactives, worksheets available for all subject areas. Very comprehensive!

Wisc-Online
http://www.wisc-online.com/ Wisconsin Online Resource Center is a consortium of 19 technical colleges in Wisconsin. The site features learning objects created by college students. Most of the objects are science related; however, other topics are available. Many of the objects are at the college level, but enough of them could be used in middle or high school classrooms that the site is worth a look. Registration is free.