Thursday, June 20, 2019

FUNecole

FUNecole is a wonderful digital learning solution for grades 1st-6th.  FUNecole focuses on different topics such as: digital literacy, SEL (social-emotional learning), and 21st Century Skills, coding, Computer Science, and more.  This is done through an innovative platform which helps teachers develop dynamic lessons, differentiate instruction, and seamlessly integrate Computer Science into their curriculum.

Below is a brief demo...



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

Socrates


*Be sure to stop by booth #1734 at ISTE 2019 to find out more about this amazing company!!!

Socrates is an innovate new site where educators can seamlessly differentiate instruction for each student through a unique game based learning system.  This is done through fun and engaging learning games w/ educational portal where teachers can track and monitor student progress, assign educational videos, use a digital badge system, testing, benchmarking, and much much more.

Below is a brief demo...



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

*Socrates is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Monday, June 3, 2019

I Know It

I Know It is a fantastic site for interactive Math lessons grades K-5th.  This is a super fun easy to use site for practice on a wide range of topics, such as: place value, multiplication, counting coins, time, and more.  Best of all, I Know It allows educators to assign lessons and track student progress to make it easy to differentiate instruction.

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

Below is a brief demo...



I Know It is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Writer Igniter

Writer Igniter is a nice little tool for writing prompts that I just found out about from Ozge Karaoglu's wonderful blog.  All a teacher has to do is click on the "shuffle" button and a random character, situation, prop, and setting, will appear and allow students to start writing.

I highly recommend checking out Writer Igniter by clicking here!!!

Projector Screen

Projector Screen is a great site for educators or parents looking to find screens, projectors, cables, and more for home or their classroom.  Also, this is an ideal place to find good deals and other resources such as: how to build a home theater or how a green screen works.

I highly recommend checking out Projector Screen Store by clicking here!!!

*Projector Screen is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Hippo Video

Hippo Video is an excellent web tool for educators or students to use to create stunning digital videos.  This is all done via the web w/ a easy-to-use interface.  Educators are using Hippo to create explainer videos (screencasts), flip a lesson or classroom, assess student's understanding, and even differentiate instruction.  Finally, a finished video can be shared via Google Classroom, YouTube, and more and Hippo Videos can be used to teach any subject for any curriculum.

I highly recommend checking out Hippo Video by clicking here!!!

Thanks to Technology & Learning for the tip.

TypeTastic for Game Based Learning

"Game-based learning (GBL) is a type of game play that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game-based learning is designed to balance subject matter with gameplay and the ability of the player to retain, and apply said subject matter to the real world. (wikipedia)"  Game Based Learning has stood the test of time and been going on since schools have been around.  Lately, it's been getting more and more attention in the media and easier to integrate into the classroom through technology.  Not only is GBL making learning fun, through innovative technology and websites like TypeTastic, kids are easily learning vital real-world skills such as Typing/Keyboarding.

TypeTastic is an excellent K-12 site for students learning how to Type/Keyboard.  TypeTastic's School Edition has an educational portal that allows educators to track, monitor, and assess student progress.  This is a fun and great way to integrate technology into a classroom's curriculum.  TypeTastic uses over 400 innovative games, activities and drills to help teach and reinforce keyboarding/typing skills.

The expanded curriculum introduces students to more than 250 entertaining new keyboarding activities that move from locating letters to fluent typing in four fun steps:
  1. Explore the Keyboard: Unique keyboard visualization splits the letters into nine color-coded groups so students see the keyboard like a map and can quickly find the correct letters. 
  1. All Fingers Aboard: These games are designed to challenge kids to learn the fundamentals of typing. All sections are centered on finger movement, often first separated into either right- or left-hand activities, followed by more challenging games that use both hands.
  1. Ready, Set, Type!: Keyboarding activities take kids on an adventure through underwater coral reefs, thick jungle vegetation, and serene beach vistas to collect words and letters, with the goal of typing simple words and sentences. 
  1. Master Those Keys: In the final step, students dig into the secrets of fluent typing, challenging themselves with more complex words, building up their typing speed, and discovering numbers and symbols.
*TypeTastic was one of Technology & Learning's Top Sites/Apps of 2018 (click here)

Below is a brief demo...


I highly recommend checking out TypeTastic School Edition by clicking here!!!

For more detailed information on Game Based Learning click here.

Mr Rogers - "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children playis serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."


Unhangout

Unhangout is an interesting new site from MIT for creating events/backchannel chats, that I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's blog.  This is a great way for educators to host a backchannel that can be used in any number of ways in education, from assessing learning to professional development.  There are lots of options to like such as: nice user interface, hosting videos, private invites, breakout sessions, and more.

Below is a brief demo video...



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