Catch of the Day - AnswerGarden - 1/31/2011

AnswerGarden is a new minimalist tool for anyone interested in an easy and powerful way to get group feedback.

AnswerGarden can be used for online brainstorming in the classroom. Use AnswerGarden at conferences and workshops to engage with the audience in a fun and interactive way. It can be embedded it on your website or blog as a poll or guestbook.

Easily create a new AnswerGarden by entering a topic on the Create New AnswerGarden page and then press the "Create" button. Then specify if you want to turn on the Unlimited Answering option. If selected, users can submit as many answers as they like. You might use this option for group brainstorming. Otherwise, users can submit only one answer to that garden per day. Your AnswerGarden is then created and ready for use.

Export the data from AnswerGarden to Wordle or Tagxedo to make make graphically appealing tag clouds. You find these export functions in the options-panel below your garden.

Try the AnswerGardendemo

AnswerGarden is free and no login is necessary.

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AmericanTeaching.net

AmericanTeaching.net is a community website featuring teaching jobs and other education employment opportunities from around the United States.

Post or browse in a number of categories including …

• Teaching Certification
• Teaching Job
• Teaching Requirements
• Teaching Education

You can follow AmericanTeaching using RSS or Twitter.

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Easy Clip Sharing with Dropbox

Have you ever been in a café browsing with your laptop and found an image, a URL, or some text you wanted to copy to use later at work or at home on a different computer?

Here's a quick, easy, free way to use your Dropbox account to do just that.

1. Make a new folder in your Dropbox folder to hold the items you clip. I named it DropClips for this example.

2. Right(Cmd)-click on the DropClips icon and select Make Alias.

3. You now have a new folder named DropClips alias in your Dropbox folder.

4. Drag the folder DropClips alias from your Dropbox folder onto the desktop of each of your computers.

Now select any text, image, URL, etc that you want to copy and access from other computers and drag it onto the DropClips alias icon on the desktop. That clip will now be added to the DropClips folder in your Dropbox and be accessible from any other devices with Dropbox access.

(This how-to is Mac-specific, but I'm sure you can do something similar in Windows.)

Catch of the Day - graph.tk - 1/28/2011

graph.tk is an open-source online graphing utility that plots mathematical functions and displays them in a visually pleasing format.

Some features of graph.tk:

• Plot multiple functions on a dynamically resizing grid
• High quality LaTeX rendering
• Numerically integrate functions and solve differential equations
• Use it even when you're not connected to the net
• Embed in your own site or forum

graph.tk runs in any modern browser that supports the new HTML5 Canvas element.

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Catch of the Day - History Now - 1/27/2011

History Now is a quarterly journal for American history teachers published online by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Each issue of History Now offers lesson plans from master teachers, resources for further investigation, and suggestions for incorporating the central themes of the issue into your classroom.

History Now was launched in September 2004. All past issues are archived on the site. You can email archivist Mary-Jo Kline with your historical questions. She will provide resources to direct you to an answer, including books and articles available at your local library as well as helpful websites.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization supporting the study of American history through a wide range of programs and resources for students, teachers, scholars, and history enthusiasts throughout the US.

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Catch of the Day - Tech4Learning - 1/26/2011

Tech4Learning is an educational technology company innovating and marketing professional development programs and creativity products for K-12 education.

Since 1999, Tech4Learning has been developing award-winning software tools to support effective use of educational technology and help build 21st century skills. Through strategies like project–based learning and differentiated instruction, Tech4Learning hopes to improve classroom technology so that students are actively and creatively engaged in the learning process, and will be prepared to use their skills and knowledge in the real world.

Among the 21st-century skills that Tech4Learning tools are designed to develop are Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, and Communication and Collaboration.

Tech4Learning software tools:

• Frames - animation and digital storytelling software
• ImageBlender - powerful photo editing software designed for education
• Pixie - a paint program with text options, clip art, voice recording
• Share - create interactive presentations, PDF and Flash® files, and web sites
• Twist - easily create vector graphic images and text that scales without losing resolution
• Wixie - online authoring tool students can use to construct knowledge and communicate ideas
• Recipes4Success - set of online resources designed to help infuse technology into your curriculum (go to a previous post)

Tech4Learning software tools provide a platform students can use to share knowledge and understanding, communicate original ideas and solutions, and share their interests globally.

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Catch of the Day - The Virtual Cell Animation Collection - 1/25/2011

The Virtual Cell Animation Collection introduces students to new concepts by walking through still images and movies included for each topic.

Explore a virtual cell and the processes contained within it by taking The Virtual Cell Animation Collection guided virtual tour. You will be introduced to many of the basic functions going on within the cell and the intracellular locations where these events occur. Users may choose a learning style that better fits their needs.

Some of the cellular processes covered are:

• Atp synthase
• Electron transport chain
• Protein trafficking, modification, and recycling
• Insulin signaling
• Photosynthesis

Among the molecular processes presented in The Virtual Cell Animation Collection are transcription, mRNA processing and splicing, and translation.

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Catch of the Day - OpenStudy - 1/24/2011

 

The goal of OpenStudy is "to make the world one large study group."

OpenStudy is a social learning network where students can ask and answer questions, help each other, and connect with other students studying the same things.

Using OpenStudy,  students can get just-in-time, when-you-need-it help. The OpenStudy network is always there, always on. Learners can enhance their own skills and knowledge by helping others and feel good about aiding someone in need.

Teachers can engage students, connecting with kids on their own terms. Strengthen communication skills and facilitate peer learning by creating study groups to help your students learn better. See which students need help, spot signs of trouble earlier.

It's easy to learn how to use OpenStudy with a series of video tutorials accessible from the How It Works link on the home page.

Watch a video introduction to OpenStudy

OpenStudy was founded in 2007 by Ashwin Ram, a Georgia Tech professor, Preetha Ram, an Emory University dean, and former student Chris Sprague.

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Wanna Tutor?

MyTownTutors and TutorNation are two websites designed to bring students together with quality tutors.

MyTownTutors

MyTownTutors connects parents and students with qualified nearby teachers. It was started in Hanover, MA, by two high school teachers, Matt Plummer and Mark Molloy, and a former student, Alex Cook. MyTownTutors only lists current or retired teachers as tutors.

Students and parents can locate registered tutors in their area simply by entering their zip code.

MyTownTutors is a subscription based service. There is a $10(US) activation fee to get started, and a monthly fee ($5 or less) to stay actively listed on the site. MyTownTutors offers a billing service which allows parents to pay in advance for a tutoring session with a credit card. The cost of this service is 10% of the transaction.

 

TutorNation

TutorNation has been connecting learners with in-home and online tutors and teachers specializing in one-on-one tutoring in the US and Canada since 1999.

TutorNation enables students and parents to contact tutors directly, choosing the one that best meets their needs. TutorNation is easy to use and free, no registration required.

Tutors can register for email and live online tutoring as well as in-person tutoring. The annual registration fee for email/live on-line tutoring is $75(US), for in-person tutoring is $85, or combine both for $95.

You are regarded as an independent tutor. You interact with clients directly and set your own schedule and rates. TutorNation doesn't take any portion your earnings. The tutor keeps 100% of what is earned.

There are no limits on the number of subjects you can tutor or the number of referrals you receive through TutorNation.

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Evernote in Education

 

Evernote gives you the ability to create and save text and ink notes, capture snapshots, clips of webpages, and "capture anything from their real and digital lives" easily using any devices or platforms they choose, and then to make that information easy to find.

The Education Series from the official Evernote blog is a way for students, teachers, and administrators to discover and learn ways to use Evernote in the educational environment. You may want to check out these posts on their blog:

• How My Students Started Using Evernote:
• 10 Evernote Tips for School
• 10 Tips for Teachers Using Evernote

Watch a video: Evernote at The Montclair Kimberley Academy

In addition to Evernote on the Web, there are free downloadable applications for Mac and PC, iOS devices, Blackberry, Android, and more.

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Catch of the Day - SchoolCircuit - 1/21/2011

SchoolCircuit is a free online gradebook solution enabling students and parents to look at assignments, view grades, and improve overall student performance, easily and securely.

SchoolCircuit offers teachers a free gradebook, accurate attendance keeping, easy-to-manage student rosters, and class calendars. Some of the other features available to teachers:

• Tests and Assignments
• Class Announcements
• Message Center
• Teachers' Desk
• File Cabinet
• Online Access

Students are given the ability to check their grades online, communicate with their teachers, easily check class events and posted assignments, and more.

SchoolCircuit offers a licensed plan to schools with an expanded feature set. Administrators can access the class database, student records, powerful reports, and more.

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Catch of the Day - Engineering Interact - 1/20/2011

Engineering Interact is a new free educational resource for primary school children ages 9 to 11, providing fully interactive, engaging game environments and high-quality learning material.

The goal of Engineering Interact is to teach children about science in a fun and interesting way, and promote the study of engineering. Information about real-world applications and cutting edge research helps motivate kids and introduces them to the subject of engineering.

Engineering Interact covers all of the Physical Processes area of the National Curriculum for England. The material is presented in a game format. These modules are stand-alone and can also be used without the game aspect. Information about engineering applications is then presented by extending the science the children have just learned.

Engineering Interact was created by the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering, with a grant from the HEFCE Aspirations Fund and the University of Cambridge Active Community fund.

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Quizlet Adds Text-to-Speech

Quizlet, the free flashcard website, was a featured Catch of the Day in October of last year.

Quizlet just announced that they have added text-to-speech audio capability in English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, with more languages on the way. You can see a sample set here.

Go to an earlier post about Quizlet

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Catch of the Day - Rock Our World - 1/19/2011

Rock Our World is an international collaboration connecting students and teachers to compose original music, make movies, and meet in live video chats.

Each country participating in Rock Our World creates a 30 second drum beat using Apple’s GarageBand.  That drum is passed along to another country where the bass guitar is added.  Each week it continues to be passed along from country to country, getting one more instrument added at each stop.  Eventually, it comes back to the originating country, having been touched by students from all over the world!

As the music travels the globe, students meet each other in live video chats to discuss various curriculum topics.

Among the companies Rock Our World has worked with are  Apple, Discovery, American Film Institute, Smart Technologies, NASA, and even actor Will Smith.

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Catch of the Day - Math 247 - 1/18/2011

 

Math 247 is designed to help learners find answers to common math questions, assist parents trying to help their kids with their math, and enable math educators to connect with other math educators.

Math 247 is a vast library of mathcasts. Mathcasts are screencasts that focus on mathematics. Mathcasts can help students learn and reinforce math; aid teachers, students, and others in collaboration; and let parents help their children and enable them to see examples of their childrens' work.

There is a large collection of mathcasts related to using Geogebra in a number of different math courses.

Browse through or search Math 247 mathcasts by both kids and teachers, on K-7 math, pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and financial math.

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Catch of the Day - TeAch-nology.com - 1/17/2011

 

TeAch-nology.com offers a variety of free resources intended to help educators implement technology in their teaching.

TeAch-nology.com provides teachers links to potentially valuable and useful information relative to current and best practices in the field of education, as well as a large variety of free classroom materials and support tools.

TeAch-nology.com is operated by a team of professional educators, including PreK-12 teachers, college professors, educational consultants, small business representatives, and web designers.

TeAch-nology.com also offers three paid membership programs designed for teachers: Getworksheets.com, Makeworksheets.com, and Exambuddy.com. The memberships offer features and access to teaching resources not available in their free service.These individual memberships cost $30(US) annually, but there is a significant discount to join all three.

You can sign up to receive free lesson plans, printables, and worksheets via the TeAch-nology.com email newsletter.

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