Catch of the Day - Macmillan English Dictionary - 8/31/2010

The Macmillan English Dictionary was created  by teams of lexicographers in Britain and the United States. Its source is a database containing millions of examples of real spoken and written English as used around the world.

Extensive analysis has allowed the writers of the Macmillan English Dictionary to reveal fresh information about how and when words are used. The unique Macmillan English Dictionary red-star system indicates frequency of usage for the most common words.

The Macmillan English Dictionary also offers a unique treatment of metaphor, showing how many ordinary words and phrases have metaphorical meanings.

The dictionary was first published in 2002, and has been updated regularly. The latest edition is free online for the first time and includes a fully integrated thesaurus.

The Macmillan English Dictionary for iOS devices ($13.99 US) gives users access to definitions, phonetics, pronunciations, and synonyms. In addition, the interactive interface allows you to cross-search for the definitions of other words and to create your own wordlists.

The Macmillan English Dictionary can be set to either British or American English.

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Catch of the Day - lexicool.com - 8/30/2010

 

Lexicool.com, from France, is a directory of free online bilingual and multilingual dictionaries and glossaries on the Internet.

Lexicool.com is a resource for translators, linguists, students, and anyone interested in foreign languages.

The lexicool.com directory currently links to more than 7500 dictionaries and glossaries. Many of these resources have been created by translators working in specialist fields and can be found using the search tool on the home page. This search tool can be embedded on a website or blog page.

Lexibar - Spanish

Lexibar - Greek

Lexicool.com also offers many other useful resources including a freeware virtual keypad, Lexibar, for writing in foreign languages, as well as, ...

• several freeware bilingual dictionaries
• online translation page
• currency conversion and text analysis tools

Lexicool.com is available in French, Italian, and Spanish, too.

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Catch of the Day - Virtual Manipulatives - 8/27/2010

The Virtual Manipulatives website from Glencoe gives math teachers at every level through grade 8 (ages 13-14) a rich source of free interactive tools for the classroom.

These Virtual Manipulatives can be used by individuals or small groups of students or shared on an interactive whiteboard.

In the simple and intuitive UI, first select a grade level from Pre-K through 8. You then have a choice of several background workmats suitable to the chosen level. Then select any of a large number of level-appropriate virtual manipulatives.

Among the tools you have to choose from are algebra tiles, geoboards, fraction tiles, base-10 blocks, geometric solids, currency, and many more.

At the bottom of the Virtual Manipulatives window is a toolbar with text, drawing, measuring, timing, and other tools.

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Catch of the Day - BlipSnips - 8/26/2010

BlipSnips is a free tool that can help you make YouTube and Vimeo videos more useful in your classroom.

With BlipSnips, you can select specific points in a video and jump directly to that point. Furthermore, you can add comments at those specific locations in the video.

With BlipSnips you can ...

• Jump directly to selected spots in the video
• Add comments directly to that point
• Share and embed easily
• Use with any video from YouTube or Vimeo

You can make a BlipSnip video by copying and pasting a YouTube or Vimeo video URL in the box. BlipSnips also provides a handy bookmarklet. Add it to your toolbar, then click it when watching a video to create a new BlipSnip video.

Watch a sample YouTube video that has been modified using BlipSnips

Note: I couldn't get it to work with a Vimeo video.

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Scitable Goes Mobile

Scitable is a free science library and learning site that I first wrote about in June.

Scitable now is accessible on the go with your mobile device. Visit http://www.nature.com/scitable using your mobile browser and you'll automatically be directed to the mobile-friendly version of the site.

See the earlier post about Scitable.

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Catch of the Day - Elements - 8/25/2010

 

Elements is a simple text editor for iOS that allows you to view, edit, and share plain text documents on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch using Dropbox for "in-the-cloud" storage and syncing.

Elements stores your text files in your personal Dropbox account, accessible from any device or computer you have using an Internet connection.

Features of Elements ...

• Cloud based - Elements stores all its data in a subfolder in your Dropbox account
• Autosaving and updating every minute
• Offline support - upload your changes to Dropbox next time you're connected
• Word, line, and character counts
• Email files as an attachment
• Customizable to fit your workflow
• TextExpander support

If you don't have a live Wi-Fi/3G connection, Elements saves your work offline and then updates your changes when you get connected again.

Elements requires an iPad running iOS 3.2 or greater or an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4.0 or greater and a Dropbox account. It is available from the iPhone App Store for $4.99 (US).

See an earlier post about Dropbox

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Catch of the Day - Incredible@rtDepartment - 8/24/2010

The Incredible@rtDepartment provides a wealth of resources to art teachers at every level.

The Art Teacher Toolbox at The Incredible@rtDepartment offers art teachers a vast directory of online resources related to …

• Books and Art Supplies
• Rubrics and Assessment
• Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, and Best Practices
• Special Education
• NCLB and School Law
• Discipline
• Activities and Contests
• Free Things

The Incredible@rtDepartment has art lesson plans for every grade level from early childhood through college, including lesson plans for substitutes at the elementary and middle school levels.

In the Activities & Games section are online activities for kids, art media tutorials, activity/learning centers, and board games. Visit Art Rooms posted by schools from around the world.

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Catch of the Day - Shmoop Pre-algebra - 8/23/2010

Shmoop is a free website loaded with teaching and learning resources in literature, US history, poetry, bestsellers, civics and biographies and now, pre-algebra.

This is Shmoop's first foray into mathematics and more is promised. Learning guides are available on the following pre-algebra topics …

• Basic Operations
• Fractions & Decimals
• Ratios & Percentages
• Basic Geometry
• Basic Statistics & Probability
• Basic Algebra

Each of these categories includes an introduction, sub-topics within that category, a glossary of related terms, and links to related online content.

See earlier posts on Shmoop: 9/21/2009 | 5/24/2010

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Catch of the Day - Zoho Challenge - 8/20/2010

 

Create powerful online tests, question banks, and more with Zoho Challenge.

Zoho Challenge is powerful, feature-rich software that automates and streamlines online test creation, distribution, and scoring. Zoho Challenge is ideal for schools, teachers, and others who need to quickly and efficiently administer tests.

With Zoho Challenge, create a test once and reuse it multiple times while retaining full flexibility on aspects like test subjects, duration, and pass/fail limits.

Zoho Challenge features ...

• Intuitive UI and workflows modeled on real-life practices
• A WYSIWYG editor
• Create unlimited question banks
• Built-in reporting mechanisms that help you measure and monitor performance
• Accepts user IDs from popular networks like Google, Yahoo, and Facebook
• Part of the Zoho suite of products

The Zoho Challenge free plan allows 50 public tests, one administrator, 100 public test takers per month, attachments up to 100 Mb, instant test results, and more. Basic ($3), Standard ($12), and Premium ($25) monthly plans are also available.

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Catch of the Day - LearnBoost - 8/19/2010

LearnBoost enables teachers to manage their classroom with a free gradebook and software to create and manage lesson plans, track attendance, maintain schedules, integrate calendars (including Google calendars), tag Common Core State Standards, and much more.

LearnBoost gives you one platform for all of your activities. Manage your gradebook, lesson plans, calendars, attendance, and more all in one place accessible from anywhere there's an Internet connection.

A visually appealing design and simple user interface are the touchstones of LearnBoost, providing a comfortable user experience.

The gradebook supports weighted averages, custom grading scales, and exporting data. See attendance in seating chart or list views. The lesson plan module facilitates the creation of multimedia lessons. Easily attach files and standards to lesson plans.

Many states have endorsed the Common Core Standards. LearnBoost fully supports and integrates these standards across their gradebook and lesson modules. You can tag standards to your lesson plans, gradebook assignments, and more.

Having made a significant investment in security, LearnBoost uses leading system, operational, and physical security for your data.

Take a video tour of LearnBoost

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Catch of the Day - iCivics - 8/18/2010

iCivics is a web-centered project designed to help students learn civics and  to be active participants in democracy.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's concern that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support, is the motivation for the development of iCivics.

iCivics games can be played in one typical class period or less. iCivics games are intended to be played by students on individual computers, but they can also be used as a group activity with an interactive whiteboard. Each game generates a detailed report at the end for grading purposes.

iCivics webquests include reading and questions with links to specific web resources to help students see how a topic relates to the real world. Webquests can be used by the whole class or by individuals.

iCivics lessons include everything you need. Just print the materials, then follow the step-by-step instructions to teach the lesson. Individual activities are easily managed, self-contained, and they always generate something you can collect from students at the end. Materials are designed to be visually interesting and are written in a conversational tone in the context of problems and issues that are relevant to students.

Justice O'Connor introduces iCivics

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Catch of the Day - FunnelBrain - 8/17/2010

FunnelBrain is a collection of questions and answers that are created, edited, organized, and learned by the students and teachers who use it.

FunnelBrain is a user-driven resource. Anyone can contribute by creating, editing, and organizing information in the form of flashcards and quizzes. The information is organized into Study Decks and Study Teams so each subject area can be a good learning tool for anyone who wants to use it.

A FunnelBrainStudy Deck can include all types of rich media content such as photos, videos, audio recordings, and math equations. Users can work together to create information for a class or any topic they want to know about.

On every Study Deck page, you'll find The Funnel. With it turned on, FunnelBrain will automatically track and manage your study time with a spaced repetition algorithm that helps you learn information faster and remember it longer.

You can also play free Video Games and check out FunnelBrain's free SAT and GRE Test Prep Center.

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