Exhibit Hall Finds @CUE 2011

COOL FINDS on Friday
I found a neat exhibit / website that helps you and your students collaborize.  It is called Collaborize Classroom.  (http://collaborizeclassroom.com/) You can sign up for FREE!  It has many great functions to use with your students and your lessons. (No, I am not getting any reimbursements from them)
From their website: 
Why Collaborize Classroom?
Collaborize Classroom is designed to complement classroom instruction and engage students in online activities, assignments and discussions that allow for deeper participation inside and outside the classroom.
•Do more with less. Allow your students to participate on their own time with an easy-to-use platform.

•Enrich your curriculum with multimedia. Embed Microsoft Office documents, videos, pictures, and PDFs.

•Give every student a voice. Teach students how to have productive, respectful and supportive discussions online.

•Publish discussions to a results page so students can see tangible outcomes of their conversations.

•Access detailed student participation reports that make grading easy!

•Download FREE lesson plans to help get you started.

• The next cool thing is an Interactive White Board.... Star Board Link by Hitachi (http://www.hitachisolutions-us.com/starboard/tcea ) 
• make any hard surface interactive
• can be mobile
• $749
• can buy a pad to walk around and write for an additional $250
• ALLOWS FOR UP TO 3 USERS TO WRITE ON BOARD!!
• hand movements to write, zoom in /out, scroll

Top 100 Tools for Learning

Top100 Tools for Learning 2010

View more presentations from Jane Hart.

Coupon for Reading A-Z, RAZ-Kids, and more

I have used Reading A-Z and RAZ-Kids in my classroom for years.  Reading A-Z offers leveled readers to print off and share with worksheets, comprehension questions, and a projectable version that is quick and easy for use with a projector or Interactive White Board. 

RAZ-Kids offers leveled readers that have a listening component.  Kids can listen to a book being read as it highlights the words.  Books can also be read and a comprehension quiz taken. The books could be projected to view as a class also.

If you have an elementary class or a special education class, it is worth checking out.

Remember When Someone Read a Book To You?

I love reading.  Always have.  My students struggle with reading and it is often a chore for them.  One program I have used and loved is Reading A-Z.  Reading A-Z is a pay site that has leveled readers to be downloaded and copied, worksheets, comprehension quizzes, projectable books and materials etc.  GREAT resources! They have a sister site called RAZ -Kids. RAZ-KIDS is also a pay site.  RAZ-KIDS offers leveled readers online that can be read aloud with highlighted words, has a comprehension quiz, allows students to read without sound, and as an incentive kids can earn points for passing the quizzes. As a teacher, you assign your students passwords, so they can even access this from their home computer. It keeps record of the books read and quizzes passed so you can see the progress.  Another great resource!  I have used these both to supplement my reading program.

I have come upon a similar FREE site that has a collection of primary level books that will read the book aloud while highlighting the word.  The books can also be personalized with familiar names or silly names if you choose.  MEEGENIUS (http://www.meegenius.com/ ) is a great little library of books that can be used with new readers, early readers, struggling readers, or anyone who would like to have a book read to them.  It doesn't have the recordkeeping that Raz-kids has, which is part of why the latter is a paysite, but it can be a great supplement to your reading program.  Check it out!

Great Math Manipulatives - FREE!

While reading through the Whiteboard Blog, I found a great website by Glencoe that gives teachers some great math manipulatives. Check out the manipulatives at Glencoe.

• These manipulatives would be fantastic on an interactive white board, 
• but they could also be used on a teacher computer with only a projector.  In this way, a student would need access to the mouse connected to the computer.
• This will definitely work as an individual or group station on a pc. 
• Many students need help doing homework at home.  Adding the link and directions for set up to a homework assignment could be a great asset for students and parents.

 Check it out... play with the grade levels, backgrounds, and manipulatives. Lots of good ideas... and it's FREE!!!