JanBrett.com

The month of December is very unfair to teachers. While the rest of the world can sometimes get away with stretching the lunch hour a few minutes longer, or gossiping around the water cooler for a few extra minutes in the morning, we need to put on our stern faces and try to keep a lid on the excitement that both children and teachers are feeling this time of year. As a teacher, my method of containing this excitement is to explore Jan Brett's website with younger children,  Even though some of her activities are Christmas specific, the website is also appropriate for those children not celebrating the holiday. There are videos, games, and card making activities, and it is a great tie-in to our library lessons as well.

Voice Thread

 https://ed.voicethread.com/is a digital storytelling website that allows you to create and narrate a story by  using images, videos, and documents. Before creating a video, there is a "Browse" tab for sample creations and tutorials. Educators can create a free account for classroom use, but the website is also a valuable tool for anyone wishing to create a personal video, or even a vacation slide show. We are going to be using the site in social studies this month to create colonial America videos.

Caldwell College Technology Conference

On October 26, I had the privilege of attending the first annual Caldwell College Technology Conference. At the conference, we were first introduced to the presenter's "Top Ten Technology Sites." The first site, Symbaloo.com, is a great Web 2.0 tool which allows you to access bookmarks from any computer. Freerice.com was also interesting because for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated to a free world country. We also were able to learn about two other Web 2.0 tools, Glogster and Voice Thread. Voice Thread is a presentation program that I am planning to use with my fifth grade classes in social studies next month.