Waffle Bytes

Finding good web resources can be the hardest part of the job for an educator.  With all the demands on a teacher's time, who has time to spend searching?  If this is you, here are some resources you may found useful.  Please feel free to share with others! General-  Googlios: Google meets ePortfolios Collection of resources for creating ePortfolios using free Google tools Language- The Devil’s Arithmetic Webquest Webquest based on the young adult novel “The Devil’s Arithmetic” Math- Amusement Park Physics Learn about the history, math & science behind a variety of amusement park rides (Okay, it is not strictly math, but it sure is fun to virtually build a roller coaster, or collide bumper cars!) Science- Virtual Pig Dissection Exactly that - virtual pig dissection (requires Shockwave player) Social Studies- Trading Around the World A game to experi...

One advantage of the iPad is its versatility in dealing with books.  There is a convenience factor in having one device to handle both eBooks and audiobooks.  However, the fact that pdf files can be added to the device is a big bonus! eBooks Apple uses the ePub format for eBooks.  This means you are able to find eBooks from many other sources outside the iBook store and use them on your iPad.  These other books will even display on your “Bookshelf” in the iBooks app. There are many advantages of using the ePub books. You can look up word definitions, annotate notes, highlight text & create bookmarks simply by clicking on the text.  ( A pop-up displays with these choices. )  To add ePub files to your iPad: Find the desired ePub books online and download them to your computer ( note where you download them so you can find them!) In iTunes, go to the File Menu and select Add File to Library. Find and select the downloaded book, making sure you...

Finding good web resources can be the hardest part of the job for an educator.  With all the demands on a teacher's time, who has time to spend searching?  If this is you, here are some resources you may found useful.  Please feel free to share with others! General- Snip.ly “Capture and share the best snips from any page” ELA- Topicmarks Upload your document, and Topicmarks summarizes the text documents for you electronically. Math-   MathTV Site with extensive collection of mathematics tutorials Science-   Powering the Earth Interactive graphical representation of electricity consumption, renewable electricity, & CO2 Emissions. Social Studies- The History Lab Lots of historical resources (sites, videos, etc) organized by theme.

Wouldn’t you know it?  On Friday the 13th all my pre-set postings don’t get posted! Here this one is a few days later… Here are some resources you or your staff may find useful.  Please feel free to share with others General - Free Audio Books  Free Audio Books from the public domain Language - Newspaper Blackout Newspaper + Marker = Poetry Math - Brightstorm Free math videos, explaining concepts & sample problems Science - WeatherSpark Interactive weather graphs that the user can pan & zoom.  Provides the entire history of any weather station on earth. Social Studies - Library of Congress - National Jukebox Historical audio recordings available to the public. Have a great week!

While I am the first to admit that I love apps and what they do, it is amazing to me that we so easily overlook all the other "stuff" we can load onto an iPad or iPod Touch to make it an even more potent learning device! Here is a short run-down of ALL the content (including apps) that can be added and made available to your students (or to you personally!): (Please note:  these are how we add it as members of an academic institution using iTunes accounts with None selected for the payment option.) Apps : apps can be added using a variety of methods find free apps in the iTunes Store & download OR redeem an app code received from a Volume Purchase Program Facilitator OR gift an app to the account from another iTunes account Music : any music from the iTunes library can be selected for upload to an iPad, including teacher or student created audio files, and audio books ; you can add individual songs, albums, playlists, genres or artists, giving yo...

( Several things have changed in the VPP since April.  Please check out the updated post about the program.) During the month of April, I spent considerable time with my colleagues helping one of our local school districts set up a pilot program with 50 iPads.  (My previous experience has been with iPod Touches-see iPod Touch Experiment .) The hardest part for me in the process was understanding the ins and outs of the Volume Purchase Program.  There are several tiers to the process, so it made putting the whole picture together for those that only have access to one or two of the tiers in a way they can understand a little daunting. What are advantages to using the Volume Purchase Program?  There are several for schools: Tracking purchases and where they have been distributed: the system is in place; it isn't pretty, but if you mark right on the spreadsheets with the redemption code where the codes are distributed you have some way ...

So April was pretty busy (there will be other posts about that!), but I’m ready to resume our Five Friday Finds! Here are some resources you or your staff may find useful.  Please feel free to share with others General- Zamzar File conversion tool; upload your file or paste in the website URL, Zamzar with convert it for you.  They have added eBook format conversion! Readability Browser add-on & mobile app to eliminate all the extra “stuff” on web pages, making the text easier to read.  The Bookmarklet is free to use in the web browsers; there is a subscription for additional services, including read later & sharing features and mobile access. Embed Plus Enhance the viewer experience around the YouTube video you embed with an upgrade in their playback controls.  It is currently free. Present.me Easily record & share your PowerPoints presentations, with you included as part of the presentation!  Free account limits to a 15 minute ...

Finding good web resources can be the hardest part of the job for an educator.  With all the demands on a teacher, who has time to spend searching?  If this is you, here are some resources you may found useful.  Please feel free to share with others! General- HippoCampus Homework & study help using digital media. Language- RhymeZone  Type in a word to find its rhymes, synonyms, definition, etc. Math- Illuminations  Standards-based math resources and activities.  Site maintained by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Science- Solar System Scope  SSS means Astronomy for Everybody. Whether you are a student, astronomy fan or an accidental browser, you are most welcome to play with our user-friendly application. It's full of space-art graphics, has easy-to-use interface with various settings and offers interesting information.  SSS ...