Scholastic.com

http://teacher.scholastic.com/whiteboards/languagearts.htm
From Scholastic, I found a site with IWB activities.  This link will take you to the Language Arts tab.  Click on the other tabs to see activities for other subjects.  It looks like a great resource.

Primary Pad

Found a very easy site for collaborative work. "It is a web-based word processor designed for schools that allow pupils and teachers to work together in real-time. " It's called Primary Pad and it is soooo easy to use. http://www.primarypad.com/ There's no log in or registration, you just share the URL and you can create a document together. This might be a fun, new way for students to work on a project together. One person starts a new pad, then shares that URL with someone else. Type your name in the sidebar where it says "type your name here" and all participants are listed. They both have control of the document and can add and edit together. There is also a spot to chat about what they are doing in the sidebar. The site allows saving, as well as import/export capabilities. Once saved, all you have to do is put in the original URL and it will pull up the last save. There is also a timeline that allows you to see the changes made. You can also download the page as a Word doc., Open doc., pdf, html, or plain text.
When I taught in the computer lab we did an activity that I called progressive stories. Just like a progressive dinner, everyone added something to the final product. This would be a great way to let the kids share in a writing activity like this (without having to move from seat to seat).
Here are a few ideas I found online:
•For collaborative research
•brainstorming a topic
•for sharing links in a topic study
•Study Guide for students in 1:1, ipod touch, connected device.
•You can also assess gaps in your instruction or student perception by seeing what students miss in filling study guide in.
•meetings
•essay tool for teacher and student to use as an editing tool
•in maths - how many sums can make that equal ??? i.e. using only the number 4 how can you make 100?
•help assess pupils' prior knowledge before starting a lesson
•vocab development how many words can you think of instead of "said"

What other ideas can you think of to use a tool like this? Please share.

Actiview

Some of you may be wondering, "What is that bag hanging out in the room with the Activotes?" We have two Activiews in each building now. They are document cameras for use in your classrooms. "Why and how would I use that?", you may ask.
Well....

• One of the easiest ways is to project a picture book (when there is only one copy). Everyone can see the pictures
• or you can annotate over the pages when you pick out things like similes, personification, etc.
• You can use the document camera for handwriting modeling as well as showing student work to the whole class.
• You can show real live critters like crickets up close. Put the critter in a ziplock batg and put the bag under the camera. You can zoom in and observe, take a picture and annotate over it to identify and label body parts.
• You can perform science experiments that the whole class can see. You can capture video of the experiment and make it possible for student who were absent to view the experiment without having to recreate it on another day.
• If you have artifacts to share with the kids (say you have a guest speaker), you can show those artifacts with the camera instead of passing itmes around the room -which can distract the students. Take a quick jgp of the item and plasce it in a flipchart so you have it even when the item is long gone. The items can be handled by the kids after the presentation has concluded.
• Demonstrate how to fold origami
• Project your calculator as you use it in front of the class.
• Show student writing to the whole class
• Usemath manipulatives
• Use it for spatial visualization: put a 3D figure under the camera and either move the object or move the camera to show all different sides
• Show items that may be hard to see, such as crystals embedded in a rock

These are just a few ideas. If you have more, add them to the comments and we will grow our list.

Can you hear me now???

Okay,
I've been putting this out for a few weeks, but I'm not sure anyone is reading this. If you are, post a comment so I can tell whether or not this is worth my time and yours. Awaiting your responses.

Gotta love the Brits

I just rediscovered a great website. I have used some of the interactives before when I was in the computer lab, but I came across the home page and found that this site has a lot of interactives for math (numeracy) and literacy, along with other subjects. What really makes it great this year is the interactives will coordinate so well with the Promethean boards. As a matter of fact they have some free Promethean flipcharts that you can download, with the interactives embedded. The site is call Crickweb and can be found at http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ Check it out. Remember, it's a British site, so the money sites won't work for your classroom.

Widgets

I'm experimenting with widgets. Check out the Promethean Planet Widget on the right. You can click on a newly posted flipchart and preview it.

Thinkfinity

I was just reminded of a really cool site. It's called Thinkfinity, which is the new version of Marco Polo, if any of you knew that site. It's sponsored by Verizon Foundation and affiliated with NEA, ISTE, and Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The site is partnered with ReadWriteThink, Illuminations, Xpeditions, and Science Netlinks, to name a few.
http://Thinkfinity.org makes it easy for educators to enhance their classroom instruction with lesson plans, interactive activities, and other online resources. There are free teacher training tutorials and webinars covering topics such as how to use the site and integrating resources into the curriculum to support content specific objectives as well as skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.
I used the site quite a bit when I taught in the computer lab. I especially liked the partner site ReadWriteThink. Start by checking out this partner site http://www.readwritethink.org . Or you could search for resources by a specific subject and grade level. You will find TONS of resources. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.