Internet Safety

Common Sense Media has released a wonderful video on internet safety for kids.  I recommend checking out this great site for useful resources for all sorts of safe ways for using the internet w/ kids.

Give Common Sense a look by clicking here!!

BubbaBrain

BubbaBrain is a site I first reviewed almost 2 yrs ago.  After receiving a comment from their president, I decided to give it another look and am glad that I did.  A lot has changed since the last time I looked at this site and am glad to say it has really come a long way.  This has to be one of the best sites for educational games w/ 1000's of games for students to play.  There are educational accounts for teachers and students to sign up for as well as lots of practice for test prep.

I highly recommend checking out BubbaBrain by clicking here!!!

Top 10 List Haven

Hi all, this is just my bi-annual post to remind people they can find all my top 10 lists and more from one location.  I hope you enjoy looking through them as much as I did creating them.

http://web20-21stcentury-tools.wikispaces.com/top-ten

Here's a preview at what is to come in 2012:

• 50 Sites in 60 Seconds V. 3
• Top 10 Sites for Educational Apps
• Top 20 Sites for Creating Charts/Graphs
• and more...

Have a wonderful and safe New Years!!!

4kids.org

4kids is a great site for educational resources for kids.  Kids can find all sorts of things such as: games, links, videos, etc.  Also, there is a section called Ask Amy where someone can ask a question online and get a response.

I recommend checking out 4kids.org by clicking here.

Best Apps for Kids

Best Apps for Kids is a wonderful site for finding educational apps for kids of all ages.  A person can search many of different ways such as by: subject, age level, rating, device, etc.

I highly recommend checking out Best Apps for Kids by clicking here!!

Looking Glass

Looking Glass is a nice free iPhone/iPad app for finding educational videos for kids.  These videos are safe and add free and more can be accessed w/ a paid subscription.

I recommend checking out Looking Glass by clicking here.

Toontastic

Toontastic is a wonderful free iPad app for digital storytelling.  This app is ideal for teaching the skill of storytelling through the use of creating a digital comic.  A user can pick through stock characters or even draw their own.  Then they can animate it by tapping a limb and moving it around.  Also, a person can record their own voice to tell the story and add background music.

I highly recommend checking out Toontastic by clicking here!!!

Kozzi

Kozzi is a site I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's award nominated blog.  This is a nice site for finding 100% free pictures on any subject.

I recommend checking out Kozzi by clicking here.

Winged Sandals

Winged Sandals is a site I've know about for a few years but just recently stumbled upon.  It is a site after my own heart as it focuses on Mythology which is my all time favorite subject in school.  This site is geared for kids 6-12 yrs old and focuses on lots of areas such as: storytelling, games, arts/crafts, etc etc.

I highly recommend checking out this ultra-cool interactive site by clicking here!!!

KidSites

KidSites is a nice site for a collection of educational resources for students, teachers, and parents.  A person can search via subject or through a wide variety of other areas such as: activities, comics, and games.  There is also a section for parents and teachers.

I recommend checking out KidSites by clicking here!

Magic Keys

Magic Keys is a great site online storybooks for kids.  These stories are accompanied w/ pictures and some even have audio included.  Also, ME has stories for all grade levels.

I recommend checking out Magic Keys by clicking here!!

The Story Home

The Story Home is a wonderful site for listening to children stories.  This is all done via an audio file which is linked to a description of a story.  These stories can be commented on and shared w/ others, and people can even subscribe to podcasts to get their stories.  This is an ideal site for young learners and a great way to share the joy of reading.

I recommend checking out The Story Home by clicking here!!

Kids Know It

Kids Know It is a fantastic free children's learning network.  What this means is that it is a site that engages kids in a variety of ways through educational: musical, videos, games, etc.  There are lots of activities and links to choose from and children can search through items via subject.

I highly recommend checking out Kids Know It by clicking here!!

Education Oasis

Education Oasis is a wonderful site for free educational resources.  A teacher can find lots of resources such as: printables, graphic organizers, book reviews, etc etc.

I recommend checking out Education Oasis by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for educational resources click here.

Canvastic

Canvastic is a nice free site for creating digital art pictures through the use of drawing/painting tools.  A person can select their brush size and paint color and then create a custom sketch.  A finished pictures can be saved, printed, or even replayed to watch the art work be created.

I highly recommend checking out Canvastic by clicking here!!

My Simple Surface

My Simple Surface is a new (beta) site for brainstorming or mind mapping.  The way is done is by creating a surface or whiteboard that users can create and organize notes on.  This site reminds me a lot of Inspiration and users of that should feel right at home w/ this.  Once a surface is completed it can then be shared w/ others for viewing or editing.

I recommend checking out My Simple Surface by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for creating a mind map or brainstorming click here.

Art Maker

Art Maker is a wonderful free iPad app for digital storytelling.  This is an ideal app for the younger kids and very user friendly.  All a person has to do is select their background (or start from scratch), and their objects, and then place them in the background.  A person can then click on the camera and record a story. These stories can then be saved and shared w/ others.

I highly recommend checking out Art Maker by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for digital storytelling click here.

Happy Holidays

I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays.  Also, I wanted to say a big thank you to all my dedicated readers, advertisers, family, PLN (online family), Technology and Learning, other bloggers, and friends.  Without you all Technology Tidbits wouldn't even possible and lets me continue to do what a I love.  It's been a rough 1 1/2 yrs since my position in my last district was cut, but the passion, joy, and love of technology and education has continued to flourish w/ this blog.  Technology Tidbits has come a long way and while I do this strictly for the joy, it has turned into a little venture that now helps pay the bills through the support of all of you.

I wish you all a healthy and happy new year and look forward to 2012!!!

K-12 Contest

Worth Ave. Group (who is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits) is having a contest for K-12 classrooms.  This contest is for technology grant money for a school and iPod/iPads for the classroom.

For more information click here!!

Zeodia

Zeodia is a site that I just found out about from the wonderful blog by David Andrade.  This is a site that reminds me a lot of Animoto and adds multimedia content to a picture.  Basically, a person uploads a photo and can add music/text to tell a story.

I recommend checking out Zeodia by clicking here!!

AccuTeach

AccuTeach is an educational community for educators to communicate and share resources w/ other educators.  Also, this is a place where parents can connect w/ teachers and collaborate w/ other community members.

I recommend checking out AccuTeach by clicking here.

For a more detailed review check out Richard Byrne's award winning blog.

TeachBook

TeachBook is a nice social network for educators that I just found out about from The Educational Technology Guy.  Like most educational networks teachers can create/share resources such as lesson plans (called planbooks), videos, etc.

I recommend checking out TeachBook by clicking here!!

For my top 20 social networks for education click here.

DimensionU

DimensionU is a site multiplayer educational games in a 3D virtual universe.  Students can challenge other players from around the world or play individually in a number of educational games for math, literacy, and science.  There are different packages available to educators and this site focuses on K-12 core standards.

I highly recommend checking out DimensionU by clicking here!!

Virtual Keyboard

Virtual Keyboard is a fun little site that I found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a great site for playing a keyboard and exploring all the different sound and effects that come w/ that.  Also, a person can play w/ chords and has a variety of different instruments to emulate.

I recommend checking out Virtual Keyboard by clicking here.

Creating Music

Creating Music is a wonderful site for teaching music and dream come true for any music teacher.  This is a great site that has educational games/puzzles/tools to teach different skills such as hearing (pitch), playing music, and even creating your own composition.

I highly recommend checking out Creating Music by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for creating digital music click here.

Penolo

Penolo is a very cool site that I just found out about from, The Educational Technology Guy!  This is a great site for sketching a unique image from scratch or uploading an image (or online via URL) and drawing over it (think Skitch).  These images then can be shared via Twitter w/ a click of a button.

I recommend checking out Penolo by clicking here!!

SAILOn

SAILOn (Subject Area Interactive Lessons Online) is a wonderful site for educational resources that I found out about from, David Andrade's wonderful blog.  This site has resources for Primary, Intermediate, and High School grade levels.  Also, lessons can be searched for by grade level for easy navigation.

I highly recommend checking out SAILOn by clicking here!!

Spelling City - A Closer Look

Spelling City is a site I've been exploring a lot lately and must say am throughly impressed.  This has to be one of, if not one of the best sites I've come across for spelling and vocabulary for a long time.  Also, this is a multifaceted site that can be used by educators, parents, or students.

Once an account is created the first thing a user will be able to do is a create a list.  These lists are custom made and can be any word the user likes.  One of the coolest features of SC is how a word entered in a list is provided w/ a definition and a sentence.  Again, as w/ most things in Spelling City these definitions and sentences can be customized.  These lists can also be assigned groups for organization purposes.

After a list is made a user has the ability to then play and search through different games that incorporates these lists.  More games and features are available for those w/ a paid premium membership.  These games are interactive and divided up between Spelling and Vocabulary.  Also, these games can be turned into worksheets and printed out.

Students can then be created by giving them a username and password.  They can then be assigned to assignments which is one of the best features of Spelling City.  Assignments are created by selecting a word list and choosing what areas to add such as: games, "teach me" (an innovative way to learn a word), writings, etc.  Instructions can then be left for students as well as a due date.

Some other nice features are:

• online video tutorials
• very easy to use and user friendly
• ability to share and search already existing lists by category
• broad in spectrum for varying age levels such as:
• worksheets and alphabetical for younger kids
• writing skills practice and parts of speech for older kids
• ability to create printables/worksheets
• premium membership offers lots of features such as student tracking, best activities, no ads, etc
• more features are always coming

I highly highly recommend checking out Spelling City by clicking here!!!

Teachers' Domain

Teachers' Domain is an excellent free resource for educators.  These are all digital media type resources that contain tons of video, lessons, and material for teachers.  All videos can be searched by subject and streamed online.  Registered users can share, save, and download videos too.

I highly recommend checking out Teachers' Domain by clicking here!!

Animoto App

Animoto has just released a free app for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.).  This is a very useful app that lets users do what they normal could w/ the Animoto site such as: adding/uploading photos, choosing music, and finally adding text.

I recommend checking out Animoto's mobile app by clicking here!!

Thanks to Free Technology 4 Teachers for the heads up.

Speak and Spell

Speak and Spell is a fun site for younger kids learning how to spell and pronounce English words.  They learn through these interactive online games, stories, and sounds.

I recommend checking out Speak and Spell by clicking here!!

A special thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip.

Learn it in 5

Learn it in 5 is a wonderful site for  web 2.0 "how to" videos that teach a person to do something in 5 minutes or less.  These videos can be searched for by subject and there is a nice blog style layout which keeps up to date on the latest educational trends in technology.

I highly recommend checking out Learn it in 5 by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for self help technology click here.

Tabletquiz

Tabletquiz is a very new and innovative site/app for creating and taking quizzes on a mobile device.  The way this is works is a person registers on (TQ) to create their quiz.  A quiz can contain 20 multiple choice style question w/ 4 answers each.  A question can contain, text, audio, video, etc.  When the quiz is finished an email will be sent out to the quiz creator with the app installation info.  The quiz creator can share the app with other persons by simply forwarding this email. This email will contain the installation link and code.  The app is then installed via the mobile device's browser.  The app can then be run on the devices and the data can be collected on Tabletquiz's website.  This data can then be exported into a Excel for further analysis.

I highly recommend checking out Tabletquiz by clicking here, as this can be a great resource for those districts in a 1 to 1 environment.

For my top 10 quiz creators click here.

Picozu

Picozu is a great new (beta) site for editing photos that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a site that reminds me a lot of Sumo Paint or Aviary's photo editor in that it is very similar to Photoshop and offers lots of editing tools.  A user can crop, filter, draw, color, add text, etc etc.

I highly recommend checking out Picozu by clicking here!!

For my top 10 photo editing sites click here.

Apples 4 the Teacher

Apples 4 the Teacher is a fun educational website for students and teachers.  This is a place that great for educational resources, games, links, lesson plans, ideas etc. etc. for primary education.  All resources can be searched by subject, and they even have great resources for the holidays.

I highly recommend checking out Apples 4 the Teacher by clicking here!!

Facebook Timeline

Facebook Timeline is just about here!!  Users of FB can now create a timeline w/ all of there posts, pics, events, etc etc in one innovative cool display.  Right now a user can do a tour of timeline and all its features by clicking here.  Timelines will go live on Dec 24th.

For more information click here!!!

Slideful

Slideful is one of my favorite new sites for creating an online slideshow.  There is just so much to like here such as the ability to upload your photos, select your effects, add text, adjust borders, etc etc.  A finished product can be saved, downloaded, shared, and even embedded into a site.

I highly recommend checking out Slideful by clicking here!!!

Spelling City

Spelling City is a wonderful site to help improve a student's spelling and vocabulary skills.  This is done via a variety of educational games that can also be printed out.  Also, teachers can find printables, worksheets, and lesson plans on how to incorporate Spelling City into their curriculum.  There is a free basic version and a paid version which allows access to more features and content.  Another great feature is the ability to upload a customized word list into their educational games/teachings.

I highly highly recommend checking out Spelling City by clicking here!!!

Fonicle

Fonicle is a new (beta) Facebook app that I saw somebody on FB using.  What this app does is chronicle a person's updates and either turns it into a free ebook for download or order a hc copy.  These books are a nice way to backup FB photos and posts.

I recommend checking out Fonicle by clicking here!!

Learning Games for Kids

Learning Games for Kids is a fun site for educational games for kids on a variety of subjects.  These games cover: science, LA, spelling, vocab, etc etc.  A nice feature is the ability to search subtopics w/in a given category to make searching easier.

I highly recommend checking out Learning Games for Kids by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for educational games click here.

Inspire my Kids

Inspire my Kids is an interesting site that I learned about from the 2011 award winner, Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a site designed to inspire kids w/ real life stories from around the world.  These stories are told in videos or photos and can be searched through by category and age level.

I highly recommend checking out Inspire my Kids by clicking here!!

TeAchology

TeAchology is a wonderful site for educational resources such as: worksheets, printables, lesson plans, etc etc.  Some other nice features are the different wizards/templates that teachers can use to create custom worksheets or lesson plans.  Also, there are different paid memberships which offers users more and more features.

I highly recommend checking out TeAchology by clicking here!!!

Raz-Kids

Raz-Kids is a site that I found out about from my son's KDG class.  This is a great site for interactive eBooks that kids can read along w/ at their own pace.  Also, at the end of each book they can either take an online quiz or print out worksheets that go along w/ it.  There is a paid teacher portal where they can get a class account.

I highly recommend checking out Raz-Kids by clicking here!!!

eduTeacher

eduTeacher is a wonderful site/community for educational resources that I just found out about from the great blog, Educational Technology Guy.  This site is ideal for sharing links in a visual way as well as collaborating and exploring web tools.  There are also nice video tutorials as well as the ability to search by subject and grade.

I highly recommend checking eduTeacher by clicking here!!!

Quick Grade

Quick Grade is a nice free easy grading calculator for teachers.  All they have to do is enter the number of questions and the number wrong and get their answer.  They can also adjust it to grade by decimal and even upgrade to a pro version if grading is done via a spreadsheet.

I highly recommend checking out Quick Grade by clicking here!!!

Lego Comic Builder

Lego Comic Builder is a fun site to create online digital comics.  This is a nice site to introduce digital storytelling to kids in a fun and easy way.  A user can select their scenes, characters, objects, and then add text to complete the story.  A finished comic can then be saved/downloaded.

I recommend checking out Lego Comic Builder by clicking here.

Zoo Whiz

Zoo Whiz is a new (beta) educational site that is geared for kids 5-15 yrs old.  This site helps kids develop their math, reading, and LA skills by creating an online zoo.  There are free accounts for teachers and schools and even a parent account to manage their kids progress.

I highly recommend checking out Zoo Whiz by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out iLearn Technology.

For my top 10 sites for educational games click here.

QikPad

QikPad is a new (beta) site that I just found out about Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a simple site to create a text document and collaborate w/ others in real time.  A person names a "pad" then shares the unique URL that is generated for collaboration.  Another nice feature is the ability embed the pad into a site/blog.

I recommend checking out QikPad by clicking here.

Muppet Mail

Muppet Mail is a fun app that I just download for the kids.  This is a great app for creating muppets, then sending them in eCards or sharing them on your favorite networking site.  The paid version allows to record/hear audio of your favorite Muppet character.

I recommend giving Muppet Mail a try by clicking here.