EdNET's Best for 2011: Teachers Select

I have found that www.mrnussbaum.com has the greatest games that students love and are inspirational and motivational tools!

As a high school biology teacher, Biology Corner offers invaluable resources; both online and print.  It has the entire curriculum and is exceptionally easy to navigate.  There are additions and alterations available as well as old tried and true resources that have always been found there.  There is also a "worksheets" option that offers worksheets on just about every topic you could think of.  The URL is www.biologycorner.com.

My studnts have been working on Toondoo.

It is a great free 'cartoon program' where students can choose characters, backgrounds and put word baloons in their mouths.

It is a great writing activity that makes cartoon strips.

My students had to choose which colony they woul like to live in and explain why if they were living in the 13 colonies.

My 7th graders LOVED it, now the 8th graders want to make them.

Angela

http://www.toondoo.com/

has helped me out many times when emergencies come up, or I just run out of ideas

http://kate.murraystate.edu/

This is a fantastic free online resource that only incorporates lessons, units and activities with technology-based components.  It's not for worksheets and printables!  Every resource in the database has been aligned to Kentucky core curriculum, Kentucky teacher and student technology standards and ISTE teacher and student technology lessons.  All activities are entered into the database by Kentucky professions as items they would use in their classrooms.

This website allows teachers/ students to:

1.Find flashcards to study or create your own flashcards.

My favorite online resource is Thinkfinity (www.thinkfinity.org).  Thinkfinity is that all encompassing site that has something for every parent and teacher. Not only does it have sites especially for each teacher and subject area, but there are sites that offer unusual, interesting, and often unthought of ways of combining the arts with language arts, math, social studies, and science. Detailed lessons, worksheets, and handouts are provided. Parents can assess many. if not all, of the assignemts for remediation and reteaching. There is a tab just for them to enter the site. Webinars, guided tours of the site are features of the site and are benefitial to those who are not familiar with Thinkfinity. I, personally, refer to it several times a week, For education, nothing beats Thinkfinity!

Here's the best blog to find what's useful, current and above all free! Written by a classroom teacher, Richard Byrne takes you through all the latest web tools and tricks that matter to educators. I use his blog in my work all the time.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

My favorite online resource, wwwLouisiana101.com is for Louisiana History teachers around the state. There teachers can post items for newbie's, pull things that might be needed to fill that need for one lesson or many lessons, they can compare notes, research items that are not covered in the current textbooks for the state. The site is maintained by a current LaHistoy teacher.

Standing out in the crowd is essential in a job interview.  Employers will be judging you based on the content of your response, the color or your wardrobe, and of course, the design of your application materials.  Portfolios are a necessary tool for every job interview.  They provide evidence such as a resume, an award, or a work sample to back up in visuals what is said in words.  Unfortunately, there’s a problem with these traditional paper portfolios.  First, they are not travel-friendly.  As more papers are added, they become heavier, often discolor, and wrinkle with age.  Another dilemma is that a paper portfolio does not stay overnight with employers.  So if a hiring committee needed a second look at a candidate’s credentials, they would have to rely on memory alone.  With the importance of going green spreading in America, what a waste of paper every time a document is updated.  It is clear that a multimedia, web-based collection works best for a world driven by technology.  This is where Weebly comes into play!  Weebly is a free, website creator.  With its easy-to-use drag-and-drop features, anyone can build a website.  Thanks to Weebly, my students are sharing their work and talent with employers.  Please consider this quality website as a resource for your classroom!

Company website:  http://www.weebly.com/

Student portfolio:  http://xhesikamarie.weebly.com/ 

Teacher portfolio:  http://tashacandela.weebly.com/

Kerpoof is an online web-based kid-friendly multimedia site, which allows students to create original artwork, animated movies, pictures, cards, and stories.  It also gives them the ability to share their work with others in a safe environment. I've used some its features with students as young as Pre-Kindergarten.  Teachers are able to create student accounts, and it's all free! 

I also would like to point out that for absent or for students who need extra attention the brightstorm.com website provides great short and to the point free video lesson on topics from pre-algebra to calculus.  Again, yes there is a fee portion for the AP and SAT prep videos, but everything is free.  These are wonderful supplements and work great when you have a substitute or need to "catch" a student up from at home.

kutasoftware.com provides free worksheets for pre-algebra, algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2 to teachers.  Yes, there is a portion that you can pay for also, but I have used the free part for years and loved it.  Best free worksheets I have found yet and I have tried them all!!!!