Whether you require 6, 8, 10 or 12 sided dice as individuals or multiples this great online dice simulator will greatly enhance your next maths session. It works great on interactive white boards and are not plastered with advertising. Take a look at it here.
Flashcards is a Silverlight web application where you can create, share, and study online flashcards. Find a deck in the community, or create your own. Decks can have up to 300 cards, and each card can have any combination of text, image, and sound on the front and the back. Start with Review mode if you don't know the content at all. Otherwise, skip ahead to Study or Type It In modes. Study mode is based on the honor system, and Type It In checks the correct answer with what you typed in. Want a challenge? Try swapping fronts and backs then studying again. Click here to access it.
Yesterday, Microsoft released the development kit for Kinect on Windows. For the uninitiated Kinect is a bodily controlled gaming platform that has been around on the X-box for around a year now. As a gaming tool Kinect is innovative but not entirely brilliant attempt to revolutionize gaming.
If you look at the video below you will see Kinect running on Windows and get an idea of the possibilities that lay ahead of us. Surely this would supersede the potential of what current IWB's offer us.
I'd Love to hear what you think after you have had a look.
Students of all ages will love Hunkin's Experiments. Cool cartoons that will have you experimenting with food, light, sound, clothes, and a whole lot more!! Hundreds of cartoon experiments from cartoonist, broadcaster and engineer Tim Hunkin. Access Hunkin's Experiments here
If you can't beat them you may as well join them and if you are not already fizzeld by royal news of late here are some useful resources that you might want to share with your students to enlighten and engage them a little further into Will and Kate's 'Special Day'.
Britain's Royal Family an Interactive Tour - Great little tool that explains where everyone fits in to the big picture of the Windsors
The Interactive Royal Seating plan for Will and Kate's Wedding - Which bums will be placed where and who will be stretching their neck to see a blurry outline at Westminster Abbey.
The Interactive Royal Wedding Timeline - Don't miss a second of that's happening and when. And what's been happening before the big day too of course.
The Royal Wedding Interactive Quiz - How well do you know your blue bloods? Find out
The Royal Wedding Route - An Interactive map of the procession to Westminster
The Royal Wedding Colouring In Pages and Crafts - You have to see it to believe it
Love to hear of any more good and cheesy resources you have come across
I got this brilliant smart notebook file from Michael Ymer that is really handy in showing students how to set up their table for a specific task. You simply drag and drop the items you want students to have out save your voice, time and effort in explaining 20 times.
What is it? Following today's weeks disastrous events in Japan, Earthquakes may have been a topic of discussion in your classroom either in terms of humanitarian relief or actually enquiring about the physical causes and effects of Earthquakes.
The BBC has a brilliant brief animated sideshow that explains the causes and effects of Earthquakes which makes a very complex issue seem very simple. It is also available in a printable PDF format if you so desire to use as handouts.
How can I use this in my classroom? Here is a great link to a BBC News Article on the Haiti Earthquakes of 2010 explaining the turn of events along with a video clip. (please note that the clip may not be appropriate for all students due to it's graphic nature - use at your own discretion.) Ask you students what they know about Earthquakes and why they occur?
Brainstorm class ideas on the board and then share the BBC Earthquake Explanation animation.
Discuss how some countries on fault lines will always be subject to Earthquakes in the future and how they can also cause Tsunami's and spread danger far wider than just the centre of the quake. Ask students what can be done in these areas to minimise the effects of Earthquakes?
Students can then record their knowledge of Earthquakes either in whatever format you desire. Write a survival story based on their knowledge learnt or research some famous Earthquakes from the Past.
Finally it would be great if you could brainstorm a class or school fundraiser that could help the victims of the Earthquake in Haiti.
Look forward to hearning of any great lesson ideas you have realted to the Earthquakes.
I have a couple of students in my grade that are really great spellers and are keen to partake in a spelling bee to test out their ability. I have found a few online sites for them to try to sharpen their skills that you might like to try with your own students.
Interactives Spelling bee has challenges for all year levels and is a great starting point.
Spelling Bee the Game - Based on the movie and is a great interactive challenge for the kids. This is for your freakishly good spellers only.
Anyhow Good luck and let me know if you come across any others.
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