Backroom Educational Technology Blogger

2011-10-26T11:29:00.000-06:00

New Site

2011-08-31T21:38:00.007-06:00

I am moving my blog to WordPress to ease some of the work load of having 2 spaces - I will now house it all in the same site ... my blog posts & grade level web links!
Please follow me at http://blogs.gssd.ca/mmorley/

Presentation Rules

2011-08-29T17:14:00.004-06:00

10-20-30 Rule for Presentations: Guy Kawasaki

Start the Year Off Different

2011-08-24T08:04:00.000-06:00

Alternatives to Traditional Book Reports - Richard Byrne has some great ideas and tools to use in your classroom

Free Math Lessons K-8

2011-08-18T12:41:00.000-06:00

Math Teachers - Take a look at Math Solutions web resources .. plenty of free math resources and articles by Marilyn Burns

Barnes & Noble Storytime

2011-08-15T19:46:00.000-06:00

Barnes & Noble has Storytime ... check out the online books!

What students think about Technology

2011-08-10T08:26:00.002-06:00

Via: OnlineEducation.net

Interactive ELA

2011-06-24T19:45:00.000-06:00

Check out McGraw -Hill's interactive phonics

ISTE Conference

2011-06-24T17:48:00.001-06:00

If you are looking for some PD check out the virtual resources that ISTE11 has to offer.
Watch ISTE Unplugged and join the conference virtually.

Watch Know - Videos

2011-06-13T08:59:00.002-06:00

Check out the video's on Watch Know wide variety of content - math, social science and more. Great to use in the classroom or just watch to learn something new!

http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=13902

Twitter Has a Place in the Classroom

2011-06-09T08:09:00.002-06:00

Word count in Wordle

2011-06-08T11:20:00.002-06:00

I love showing teachers Wordle because it is an easy to use tool. One way to Wordle is for it's word count feature ... a student can see in detail how many times he/she used a particular word. After you create a Wordle go to "Language" at the top of the tool bar and scroll down to the bottom where it says "Word Count" click on it and a nice list will appear. Give it a try!

Technology Integration Matrix

2011-06-08T10:03:00.001-06:00

Technology Integration Matrix - great resource for classroom teachers to get ideas of how to use Technology in the classroom.

Bringing Art Alive

2011-06-08T07:39:00.001-06:00

Love this how a teacher brought this art alive via PhotoPeach Such a simple idea but great!
Jack and the Beanstalk Giants on PhotoPeach

Via Mrs. Nessman's Grade 1 Blog

Succeeding With Science

2011-06-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

Games & activities to support science and the use of a IWB ~ Succeeding with Science

Butterflies at MacDonald School

2011-06-03T10:43:00.013-06:00

The K - 1 Students at MacDonald school have been learning all about butterflies and they are watching as they hatch from their chrysalis cocoons. This is a recorded from Friday.

Talking Pets

2011-06-03T08:03:00.000-06:00

Want to have some fun with your students today - try out Talking Pets
Choose a Pet, write your speech and listen to your pet deliver a perfect speech! Great way to differentiate instruction!

27 Interesting Ways to use Photos in Your Class

2011-06-03T07:05:00.003-06:00

28 Interesting Ways to use Photos Check out this Doc for some great suggestions!

Discovery Education

2011-06-02T08:05:00.002-06:00

Discovery Education has more than just videos. It is a great place to find and use photos for projects, blogs etc. Beside it resources it also has lesson plans - check out this one: Explore Wildlife Rescue & Preservation

Classroom Blogs

2011-05-31T21:10:00.004-06:00

I recently did a session at our Division wide PD Day on Blogging. I start the session by telling teachers that it takes 5 minutes to set up a blog but it does take a bit more of a commitment to keep it going. To keep your blog sustainable over the year there has to be a reason and you have to see the benefit. I have many teachers start a blog to keep parents updated on classroom happens/homework and if parents aren't using it, the blog soon fizzles out. The advice I give to teachers is to really think about why you want to blog and who do you want your audience to be ... Parents, Students or other Professionals? From my own experience, the most successful blogs are those that have student involvement - whether that it commenting on posts or having a space to access their own blogs. Lastly, you have to make it a part of your routine just as routine as DEAR Time or other scheduled learning opportunities. Happy Blogging!

Last Word

2011-05-28T12:36:00.002-06:00

Powerful video about Driving & Texting .. Take a Stand

Via: @courosa

May PD Keynote Speaker

2011-05-25T06:53:00.000-06:00

GSSD had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Alec Couros yesterday at our Teacher In-service day. It was great how he took us back in time through technological history to present day. Here is a list of the links from his talk: Why Social Networks Matters.
Follow Alec on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/courosa

The Web Is What You Make of It

2011-05-24T07:36:00.004-06:00

Alphabet Origami

2011-05-23T07:37:00.002-06:00

Alphabet Origami comes with diagrams and animations that takes you through the folds ... great site to use in ELA as students are to follow 1/2/3 step direction. There are hundreds of patterns ranging from easy to difficult.

Subtraction

2011-05-22T18:20:00.000-06:00

Crazy Cone Subtraction - have your students use the counting back strategy when they play this game.

Free Math Games

2011-05-22T07:57:00.002-06:00

Manghigh is offering free accounts for teachers/students - Free math and drill games that you can monitor.

$50 Interactive Whiteboard for ipad

2011-05-18T08:03:00.002-06:00

Doceri is a revolutionary iPad software suite for classrooms, conference rooms, and auditoriums – any place where you give presentations, teach, or collaborate. These tools will help change classroom instruction at a fraction of the cost of a SMART board.

Internet Safety Tips & Lessons

2011-05-17T10:18:00.000-06:00

Here is a great website packed with resources to help teach your students about digital citizenship. Common Sense Media has teaching resources from K -12.

Bead Numbers

2011-05-10T21:22:00.000-06:00

Great way to look at numbers: Bead Number

IT Summit - Saskatoon

2011-05-10T18:54:00.012-06:00

Another great conference was put on this year ~ Here are links I found to be the most useful:

Michael Wesch - Keynote & Session Presenter shared his expertise on creating video with students
Google Apps - Stewart Harris
Check out the Cool Tool Duel between Alec Couros, Dean Shareski, & Hall Davidson ... ready to use web tools for your classroom
Kathy Cassidy - Primary Digital Portfolios
Open Street Map a great alternative to Google Street Map

SMART Game Templates

2011-05-04T13:20:00.000-06:00

Why re-create the wheel ... check out these ready-made game templates for SMART Notebook.

Field Birds

2011-04-16T16:26:00.002-06:00

Check out this great resource on Field Birds on Flickr ... you can search for specific area that birds are spotted ~ ie. Saskatchewan. Excellent resource and beautiful photography!

Use Your Kindle on the SMARTboard

2011-04-15T18:26:00.001-06:00

Check out how this works ~ pretty slick!

http://www.teq.com/blog/2011/04/using-your-kindle-with-a-smart-board/

How to Create a Facebook Fan Page for your School

2011-04-15T08:35:00.000-06:00

Here are 10 easy steps to creating a Facebook Fan Page for your school

Math Investigations

2011-04-14T16:02:00.002-06:00

http://www.subtangent.com/maths/ig-diagdiff.php

Try this Math Investigation with Diagonals

What Great Teachers Do Differently

2011-04-13T21:43:00.004-06:00

Bite Sized Games

2011-04-09T09:32:00.002-06:00

Just revisiting Bitesized Games these are learning games and a great way for students to practice the skills they have learned.

Check out the BiteSized Math Games.

Geo Games

2011-04-08T08:29:00.001-06:00

With the technology and communication the world seems like it is getting smaller. It is a good idea to teach students some geography and where is the world countries are located on the globe. During transitions times play Geo Games on your SMARTBoard. Engage the whole classroom.

Book Trailers

2011-04-06T18:25:00.002-06:00

Try something new and have your students create a book trailer. Here is an example of a Book Trailer ... and what a great way to spark students to interest to read a book.
Here are more Book Trailers

100 + Google Tricks for Teachers

2011-04-06T06:43:00.002-06:00

Google is a powerful tool, most teachers/students only use it for it's search engine. Take a look at the list and find one more way to use Google!

Study Ladder

2011-04-05T12:16:00.001-06:00

I came across a great treasure called StudyLadder it has tons of curriculum based interactives/printable/videos. You have to sign up but it is free for teachers and a class of 30 students. Awesome resource if you have an SMARTBoard.

Interactive Physics Games

2011-04-05T09:29:00.000-06:00

Interactive Physics Games for all ages. Learn and Play!

Skype in the Classroom

2011-04-04T19:43:00.001-06:00

Skype in the Classroom is a great resource if you want to use Skype in your classroom. You can search for projects, teachers, experts. You can also add you name and wait to be contacted.

K-5 Digital Citizenship Overview

2011-04-03T09:32:00.001-06:00

Here are some resources for K-5 students learning about Digital Citizenship
My Online Neighborhood

Scribble Map

2011-03-31T11:05:00.000-06:00

Customize Google Maps using Scribble Map - Great geography tool or can be used to tell a story. Maps can also be embedded into your blog or wiki.

Space Race

2011-03-31T10:43:00.000-06:00

Learn all about Planets by watching Space Race .. short videos guide your through the universe. Great for young learners.

You Are What You Read

2011-03-25T08:38:00.001-06:00

Connect with others and share what you are reading! Great site for teachers, students and parents. You are What You Read.

Google Street View

2011-03-22T19:13:00.003-06:00

Learn more about the Google Street View Car - Google Street View Maps

Online Math Games

2011-03-16T18:34:00.003-06:00

Check out the Online Math Games ... great to use when you are Math Podding.

Wonderopolis

2011-03-12T09:25:00.002-06:00

Wonder what others are thinking about ... check out Wonderopolis as there is a new wonder posted every day!

Blogging Resources

2011-03-11T17:37:00.005-06:00

Blogging Resources:

KidBlog

Beginner Bloggers

Renewed ELA Curriculum Sask Grade 1

2011-03-11T16:07:00.004-06:00

I have been working on updating all my webpages to reflect the renewed curriculum in Saskatchewan. I have the Grade 1 ELA almost complete.
Please stop by ... hope you find the resources useful!

Computer Lab Favorites

2011-03-11T14:28:00.003-06:00

Check out Computer Lab Favorites, there are 50 one-stop learning activities 10-30 minutes each. Subjects ares include ELA, Math , Science, Social

Teacher Book Wizard

2011-03-09T10:04:00.002-06:00

Watch this short video to Audio Tour to find out how the Scholastic Teacher Book Wizard works. It is a great tool to find books for interest/reading levels.

Edmodo

2011-03-05T09:02:00.003-06:00

Edmoto - social networking for students and teachers .. check out the video to find out more! Great way to share in your classroom, school and or district.

Book Club

2011-03-05T08:28:00.002-06:00

Here is great piece of software that can help facilitate a book club. Bookclubit allows for private or public book chats. This would be great to try with your students. Each students would be requires to sign up.

Math Card Games

2011-03-04T15:02:00.003-06:00

Here are few Card Games that you can play in Math. Remember ~ Games can be fun and a great way to learn too!!

Soical Media .. It isn't a fad

2011-03-04T08:54:00.001-06:00

Why I love my iPad

2011-03-03T07:17:00.006-06:00

I love the photo album, such a great way to share photos
I love the portability - long battery life
I love the apps ie. Netflix .. I can watch a movie anywhere like in an airport
I love the touch screen

The iPad 2 will be out at the end of the month and will have front/rear camera. Facetime is such a great way to communicate with friends and family. Here is more information about the iPad2

Special Chararters

2011-03-01T11:05:00.003-06:00

Did you ever need to type a special character and couldn't recall the key stroke? Check out copyandpaste ~ click on a character and paste it into your work!

Under Ten Minutes

2011-02-28T09:54:00.004-06:00

Under Ten Minutes offers a variety of 10 minute videos to help you use technology. This is a great place to become a self learner.

Tangram House

2011-02-15T10:06:00.005-06:00

Here is a great way to test your problem solving skills by completing Tangrams.

LipDub

2011-02-15T07:47:00.001-06:00

Congrats to Melville Comprehensive School (GSSD) on it's lipdub video! Great Job ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxjrOzu2lDA

On December 10, 2010 all students and staff at the Melville Comprehensive School were invited to participate in the school's first ever lipdub. Approximately 400 students from grades 7-12 and staff joined in for what has been called "the best school spirit activity I've ever seen". (It was -20 Celcius outside for the opening sequence.)

The lipdub was produced by the grade 11 & 12 students in Mr. Coleman's Communications Production Technology course. The budget for the production was $0, using only equipment and supplies already available at the school. For more information see the CPT class website.

Thanks to the provincial and local media that have covered this for our school: CBC Saskatchewan TV and AM Radio, CTV Yorkton and the Melville Advance. Trooper responded as well on CBC Saskatchewan's "Afternoon Edition" at http://www.cbc.ca/afternoonedition/

Thanks to the other lipdubs that provided inspiration: Shorewood High, Plum High, UVic (Spain), UVic (Canada), Calvin College, Grand Valley State and Warsaw School of Economics.

Highway Hotline

2011-02-14T08:42:00.003-06:00

If you live in Saskatchewan you live by the Highway Hotline website. The Ministry has made improvements to it and it is now interactive.

Story Time For Me

2011-01-31T14:49:00.003-06:00

Free Online books for children ... Storytimeforme

Skyping for Educators

2011-01-13T13:19:00.003-06:00

If you are looking for classrooms to Skype with "Skype for Educators" is resource that is useful.

Offline Math Games

2011-01-12T16:10:00.004-06:00

Here are some Offline Math Games ... Great when you are teaching in Math Pods/Stations. Also check out Developing Conceptual Understanding of Number great teaching ideas!

Math Coach Blog

2011-01-07T11:37:00.004-06:00

Check out our Math Coach Susan Muir's Blog .. she has tons of resources and lesson plans to teach math from K-4! Excellent resources! Here is a video from here blog:(Visit her blog for more resources)

Math & SMARTBoard

2011-01-06T13:31:00.005-06:00

I'm not a big fan of drill and practice math sites but once your students understand the concept of multipication being able to recall your multiplication table quickly can be beneficial. Most drill and practice math sites don't work well with a SMARTboard, but Learn Your Tables has a touch keypad that can be used on SMART board and played in small groups.

NGA Kids

2010-12-12T13:20:00.002-06:00

NAG is a wonderful Art site ... kids can learn all about Art in a fun and interactive way!

TurkeySwap

2010-12-08T16:39:00.002-06:00

Challenge your students to see who can swap turkey's in the least amount of moves!

Gingerbread Fun

2010-12-08T08:55:00.007-06:00

Partake in this interactive Gingerbread Story - then Retell the story. Or read Starfall's Gingerbread Story . Then let you students show his/her creativity decorating this Gingerbread House or try Baby Gingerbread house, or Home Sweet Home.

Audioboo

2010-12-07T19:14:00.001-06:00

I was trying out Audioboo today and it is a great tool for recording and sharing audio, for example students could use it for storytelling. It is similar to Vocaroo (which I also love), but Audioboo's have apps for the iphone/Android, plus you can follow and comment on the audio, which makes it more interactive. (5 minute limit)

Mathademics

2010-12-06T19:53:00.002-06:00

Mathademics are screencasts of SMART board/ Promethean board lessons. There are some really good examples of how you can use your board in mathematics!

Free Pictures - Wylio

2010-12-05T18:52:00.004-06:00

Wylio allows you to search through millions of Flickr photographs which are considered under the Creative Commons license. Great site if you are looking for photos for your blog. Always give attribution to the original owner.

Lyric Training

2010-12-03T18:08:00.003-06:00

Need to learn a new song for choir or for a musical then Lyric Training may help you!

Thingdom

2010-12-01T10:43:00.003-06:00

Play Thingdom is a game about genetic inheritance and selective breeding. Great way to expose students to new learning through games.

Destination Math & Reading

2010-12-01T10:18:00.004-06:00

Destination Math & Reading is a program that is purchased by GSSD. If you are interested in getting a user/password please contact the help desk or a Digital Learning Coach.

Destination Math & Reading is an excellent program to use with Math or ELA Pods.

Online Stories

2010-11-26T15:28:00.002-06:00

Kids AOL has online stories that your students will enjoy.

Dooodl

2010-11-24T17:42:00.003-06:00

Let your students create a Dooodl and post it on their blog - Could use it as a Math Journal tool for students to share pictures.

The Story of Food

2010-11-24T13:17:00.002-06:00

Watch this video to learn about the world's food supply and check out the USC Canada website.

The Story Of Food from USC Canada on Vimeo.

Open Ended Math Problems

2010-11-24T11:39:00.003-06:00

If you are looking for open-ended math problems for middle years ... Learning Math is an excellent place to look. If the content doesn't match what you are teaching it would still be benificial to look at the problems to get a feel for open-ended problems.

Wolfram Calculating Tool

2010-11-19T16:59:00.002-06:00

Calculate anything with Wolfram Calculating Tool ... how far is the sun .. or how many Euros in a CAN dollar or try 4X -3X and see what you get for an answer! Cool tool to use with guess and check strategy.

Site Hoover

2010-11-19T10:21:00.004-06:00

Create a web of resources for students in minutes with Site Hoover. No Sign up required.
Follow these steps:

Go to the site
Type in a name you want to use ie. mmorley
Click on a box / copy and paste the url / add a title? and save
Give your students the link to the resources
YOu can also create folders/ math/science etc.

Chem Education Digital Library

2010-11-19T08:38:00.003-06:00

There is no shortage of great online sites for students to explore and visualize concepts.
The Chem Education Digital Library has Models 360, live Periodic Table and more. If you teach chemistry this site is a must have!

One-two-Fiver

2010-11-18T11:53:00.003-06:00

One-Two-Fiver is a great place to get students warmed up for writing. You can create an account if you want to save/share your writing or it can be used without an account and your writing can be emailed. Try something new to help inspire your writers.

Verb Conjugations

2010-11-15T16:45:00.002-06:00

This is a great site to add to your blog or use online. Help your students see verb in all the tenses ... Verb Conjugations

Try it now!

Cell Biology Animation

2010-11-09T21:30:00.002-06:00

Check out this Cell Biology Animation

Study Jams

2010-11-05T12:06:00.004-06:00

Check out Study Jams .. there are math videos on a variety of topics. Content is from USA so watch out for place value and seeing comma's and saying "and". Otherwise looks like a great way tool for math.

Wikimedia Commons

2010-11-05T11:48:00.003-06:00

If you are looking for media (pictures, music or videos) that you want to post on your blog here is an excellent place to search. Wikimedia Commons is a place where you can use/re-use any content that is on the site.
Always a good idea to add attribution.

Photo: lkiwanwer

Remembrance Day

2010-11-04T13:32:00.004-06:00

If you are looking for Remembrance Day sites for your students to research here are two Great options:

History- Vetern Affairs Canada

World War 2 Home Front

Photo: freefoto.com

One Word

2010-11-02T20:56:00.005-06:00

Get students to write ... spontaneously! Place oneword.com on your SMARtboard and let kids write as many thoughts as they can about a word in sixty seconds.

Let Them Sing it For You

2010-10-31T14:09:00.003-06:00

Here is a great little tool especially if your students are wiring poetry. It is called Let Them Sing it for You .. you add the text and it will sing it back to you ... Awesome way to inspire your writers!

Math Train

2010-10-31T09:43:00.005-06:00

Check out Math Train .. these are math videos mainly created by students. You can use the content or view the content to get ideas on how you can get your students creating/sharing/posting math videos on your own blog!

K-12 Online Conference

2010-10-15T18:39:00.002-06:00

Once again there is a free K-12 Online Conference. There is a schedule and if you can't make a session you can watch it at a later day/time as all workshops are recorded. This is a great way to gain get PD without leaving your house.

Quill Pen - SMART Board

2010-10-14T09:32:00.001-06:00

Found this cool tool that would work great on a SMARTboard is is called Quill Pen. You use a feather pen to write.

PLP

2010-10-13T11:59:00.001-06:00

Today we are working together on PLP's 0r Powerful Learning Practice. We had a great day! Our Cohort is excited to continue learning and sharing.

Photo Credit: PLP Site

21 Things the 21 Century Teacher Should Know

2010-10-05T08:25:00.003-06:00

Check out this website to find out what type of skills you need to be a 21 Century teacher. My advice to teachers is to try something new using technology and build from there. Once you get comfortable using a certain tool .. try something else and pretty soon you have acquired many skills without realizing it. But don't be scared .. and take that first step!

That Quiz

2010-10-03T08:55:00.005-06:00

If your students have an understanding how to solve problems/equations That Quiz that purely a site for math practice. It generates a bunch of test questions and marks it. Registration is free and teachers who register receive complete record-keeping of student grades. They have access to more precise test-generation tools, can create single tests with questions from different categories, can create matching and multiple choice questions, and can access a public test library.

Google Docs

2010-10-02T18:31:00.004-06:00

Why use Google Docs? I had a few conversations this week with teachers, administrators and superintendents about using Google Docs .. it was more like I was trying to convince them. Really the only way to know if it is something useful is to actually try it .. here is a short video that might give you some ideas on how and why it could be used: