Monday, October 31, 2011

Cartoon Critters

Cartoon Critters is a nice site for the younger kids for learning how to draw and for finding other interactive/educational links.  This site has online coloring books, story books, videos, etc etc.

I recommend checking out Cartoon Critters by clicking here.

Make Me a Zombie

Being in the spirit of Halloween I decided to find a site that would turn a photo into a zombie.  All a user has to do is upload a photo and watch as it does its thing.  A little spooky fun for this holiday.

I recommend checking out Make Me a Zombie by clicking here.

Here is a sample photo....

Knowledge Adventure

Knowledge Adventure is a wonderful site for educational games for grades PK-6th grade.  These games cover all sorts of subjects such as math, science, phonics, etc.    This is a fun site to help kids find the joy in learning.

I highly recommend checking out Knowledge Adventure by clicking here!!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

OER Commons

Open Educational Resources is a great site for educational resources that I found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a excellent place for educators to post and find lesson plans in all different content areas.  There is also a nice bookmark button that allows users to browse on a site then add it to OER by the use of that button.

I highly recommend checking out OER Commons by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for educational resources click here.

Friday, October 28, 2011

iKnow That

iKnow That is a excellent site for educational games for grade K-6.  These games cover every subject from math to social studies.  This is totally a safe environment and the games are aligned w/ state standards.

I highly recommend checking out iKnow That by clicking here!!

Whatfolio

Whatfolio is a great site that I found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This site allows users to upload their work to a web page which creates a virtual/online portfolio.  There are lots of options to choose from and there is a bit of a learning curve.

I recommend checking out Whatfolio by clicking here.

For other nice digital portfolio sites check out Visual CV or Googlios.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Grockit Answers

Grockit Answers is a cool new (beta) site that I just found out about.  This is a great site for interacting w/ YouTube/educational videos.  This is done by searching for a video and then having the ability to start a public or private question/answer "session".  What makes this so nice is how easy it is to use while still having a innovative and fresh look.

I highly recommend checking out Grockit Answers by clicking here!!!

Kidz Page

Kidz Page is a fun site for educational games for grades K-8.  These games cover a wide variety of subjects such as: math, word games, memorization, etc.  Also, this site has printables, clip art, puzzles, and other fun stuff to look through.

I recommend checking out Kidz Page by clicking here!!

For my top 10 educational games click here.

Empedia

Empedia is a interesting new (beta) site that I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's excellent blog.  This is an ideal site for interacting w/ Wikpedia.  Not only can a user browse through articles they can then add a: post, poll, or a discussion about the information.  I like to think of it as Wikipedia w/ comments.

I recommend checking out Empedia by clicking here!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Play Kids Games

Play Kids Games is a excellent site for educational games for grades PreK-Middle School.  This is a safe site that covers a lot of areas such as: math, vocabulary, shapes, etc.  Also, there is a teacher portal which allows teachers to create a class and then customize content so that it shows up in the games.

I highly recommend Play Kids Games by clicking here!!!

Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook

Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook is a wonderful free resources for educators that I just found out about from, The Educational Technology Guy.  This book has everything such as: articles, news, tips, professional development, web 2.0, links, etc etc.

I highly recommend checking out this valuable resources by clicking here!!

Spookathon

There are lots of sites for online pumpkin carving, but Spookathon is one of my favorites.  The reason for this is that it is simple to use, there are lots of carving tools to choose from, and a person can even paint on their pumpkin and light it up w/ a candle inside.  Also, there are other fun activities to find on this site as well.

I highly recommend checking out Spookathon by clicking here!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Queeky Paint

Queeky Paint is a nice free site for drawing/painting.  It's a very easy site to use w/ the standard drawing tools and a user has lots of options for editing their drawing.

I recommend checking out Queeky Paint by clicking here!!

Funschool

Funschool is an excellent site for educational games for grades PreK-6th grade.  Not only does FS have games on a lot of different subjects but there are videos, printables, and interactives to find on here as well.

I highly recommend checking out Funschool by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for educational games click here.

Zimmer Twins at School

Zimmer Twins is a site I first covered around 2 yrs ago for digital storytelling.  However, now thanks to iLearn Technology, I have learned that Zimmer Twins now has an educational portal for their great cartoon/movie making site.  This new version dedicated to schools is great.  A paid account lets teachers create a class of up to 40 students.  Also, each class gets a blog, the ability to publish/comment (which is all moderated by the teacher), collaborate w/ others, etc etc.

I highly recommend checking out Zimmer Twins by clicking here!!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Kabongo

Kabongo is a new (beta) site for online reading games.  This site is dedicated to kids ages 4-7 and allows kids to interact and learn in a safe virtual world.  Kids will learn skills such as comprehension, phonics, and sequencing.

I highly recommend checking out Kabongo by clicking here!!!

Academic Skill Builders

Academic Skill Builders is a wonderful site for educational games.  This site is designed to help students learn by playing multiple player games.  The games covers various aspects of math and language arts.  Also, there is a teacher portal which allows for student tracking and customizing games.

I highly recommend checking out Academic Skill Builders by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for educational games click here!!

Flame Painter

Flame Painter is a fun site for creating digital art.  All a user does is move the cursor around the screen and watch it paint.  However, a person can control the color, saturation, and opacity.  Also, there is a Mac/Windows app available as well.

I recommend checking out Flame Painter by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for digital art click here.

Billy Bear

Billy Bear is a nice/safe site for kids for educational games, storyboards, drawing tools, etc etc.  Also, BB has nice activities for holidays, clip art, and links to other educational sites.

I highly recommend checking out Billy Bear by clicking here!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Primary Games

Primary Games is a nice site to find educational games.  Not only does PG have games for math, science, and social studies, but also printables, downloads, and virtual worlds.

I highly recommend checking out Primary Games by clicking here!!

Fuel the Brain

Fuel the Brain is a nice site for educational resources and math games.  This site covers different aspects of math such as: counting, operations, geometry, etc.  Resources can be searched by grade level and their are even interactives that students can play.

I highly recommend checking out Fuel the Brain by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for educational games click here.

PageOrama

PageOrama is a site I found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's blog.  This is a nice site for easily and quickly creating a web page.  A user can add links and photos (doesn't look like u can add videos) and then publish a site w/ a click of a button.

I recommend checking out PageOrama by clicking here!!

For my top 10 website creators click here.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Buzz Years

Buzz Years is an excellent Learning Management System that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This is a site that reminds me a bit of Social Media Classroom and is ideal for integrating 21st Century technologies.

Straight from their site...

Top 10 ways to use Buzz Years

  1. Free website for classes
  2. Discuss course work w/ students
  3. Manage assignments online
  4. Gradebook for class
  5. Manage attendance
  6. Connect w/ parents
  7. Locker to store teaching materials
  8. Manage signups
  9. Dashboard
  10. School calendar
I highly recommend checking out Buzz Years by clicking here!!

DisaPainted

DisaPainted is a fun new site for creating custom animations that I found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's blog.  All a user has to do is register or user their Facebook account and then they can start using drawing tools to create an animation.  Once a picture is done a new frame can be added to create the animation.

I highly recommend checking out DisaPainted by clicking here!!!


Open Study

Open Study is a new (beta) site that is ideal for creating/joining study groups on any number of subjects.  Also, this site acts as a nice message board to find answers to those difficult questions.

I highly recommend checking out Open Study by clicking here!!!

For a more detailed review check out Richard Byrne's wonderful blog.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Mai Nada

Mai Nada is an interesting site for making digital comics.  Unlike other sites MN focuses on having users draw their own comic.  Once a comic is done it can then have pre-set timings to allow the comic to animate on its own (think Comic Life movie export feature).  Keep in mind this site is also an online community so it may not be appropriate for school.

I recommend checking out Mai Nada by clicking here!!

For my top 10 digital comic creators click here.

FileLab

FileLab is an excellent new site for editing video and audio.  This is all done w/ a nice easy to use interface which is drag-n-drop.  A user can crop/trim audio/video, add effects, and of course save and share.

I highly recommend checking out FileLab by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for editing video click here.
For my top 10 sites for editing audio click here.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Friends with Brainefits

Friends w/ Brainefits is a nice free Facebook application for studying.  Once a user adds the application, FWB will post a term and definition on their wall.  Then FWB allows the users friends to post need to know terms on their wall.  This is a fun way to study and help facilitate learning.

I highly recommend checking out Friends w/ Brainefits by clicking here!!

Graph Words

Graph Words is a great visual thesaurus that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  All a user has to do is enter a word and click on draw and a web is displayed of your term.  Once the web is done you can then click on any term in that web to watch another one branch out.  This is great for seeing how words are related.

Below is a pic of from the term, omnipotent...

















I highly recommend checking out Graph Words by clicking here!!

Fish Smarty

Fish Smarty is an excellent new site for online learning through: educational games, digital comics, and coloring.  Also, FS has an educational portal which is ideal for tracking student progress and having a safe environment for kids to interact in.

I highly recommend checking out Fish Smarty by clicking here!!!

Mind Leap

Mind Leap is a great site dedicated to finding/reviewing educational apps for kids grades PK-Middle School.  Not only can you search for apps by grade level but you can search though subject as well.  Each app is reviewed and rated on a 5 star scale and is linked for download.

I highly recommend checking out Mind Leap by clicking here!!!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

AnyMaking

AnyMaking is a great online photo editor.  However, not only is AM great for editing photos by: cropping, filtering, and resizing images, but it is great for adding effects such as: cartoon, cyber, HD, etc.

I highly recommend checking out AnyMaking by clicking here!!

For my top 10 photo editors click here.

SlideRocket EDU

SlideRocket EDU is a wonderful new spin-off site from SR & Google.  For a user to take advantage of thie educational tool/portal is a Google Apps Education Administrator account.  This great site is all online, excellent for collaboration, and creates stunning presentations.

I highly recommend checking out SlideRocket EDU by clicking here!!!

For a much more detailed review check out Free Technology 4 Teachers.

For my top 10 sites for creating a slideshow/presentation click here.

Speakaboos

Speakboos is a wonderful new site I found out about from the blog, NCS-Tech.  This is a great site for young kids for interactive stories, songs, games, etc.  Also, there are lots of educational resources for teachers as well.  From their site, "At Speakaboos children develop literacy skills while learning about technology in a safe and fun environment."


I highly recommend checking out Speakboos by clicking here!!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

David Andrade's on his wonderful tech blog, just posted about 25 excellent resources from Discovery Education.  These resources run the gambit on all sorts of great things such as: free clip art, teacher guides, web 2.0, etc etc.

I highly recommend checking out his post by clicking here!!!

ABCya

ABCya is an excellent site educational games for grade K-6. These games cover all subject ares and even offers educational apps for mobile devices.

I highly recommend checking out ABCya by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out the wonderful blog, NCS-Tech.

Slime Kids

Slime Kids is a fun new site that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. SK has tons to offer elementary students such as book reviews, games, trailers etc. The games cover topics such as grammar, spelling, and typing. While the book trailers show a video about the book and might be the coolest thing on the website.

I highly recommend checking out Slime Kids by clicking here!!!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Top 10 Sites for Educational Games

There's no denying the appeal that online games have on kids. While this might come w/ a negative stigma there are a lot of online educational games that can be found to not only enhance the joy of learning but strengthen skill sets as well. That being said I've decided to create a list of my favorite educational gaming sites on the web.

Top 10 Sites for Educational Games
  1. Funbrain - One of the most popular educational gaming sites around. Not only does this site cover a variety of subjects, it caters to K-8th graders, and has nice teacher resources as well.
  2. Game Classroom - Excellent, safe, teacher approved, state standard aligned games for grades K-6. Also, lots of teacher resources to find such as: videos, lesson plans, worksheets, etc.
  3. Gameaquarium - A great site for games for kids K-6 in all types of subjects. Videos, eBooks, and teacher resources can be found on here as well.
  4. Braineos - Is a nice site where games are based on flash cards. Also, a registered user can include their own study lists/flash cards in the games.
  5. Tucoola - A wonderful site for skill building games for younger kids where parents can track their progress.
  6. Tutpup - A cool site for math and spelling games where kids can compete w/ other kids online. Best of all this site is COPPA compliant.
  7. BrainNook - Is an innovative site that allows kids to play educational games for math and english in safe virtual worlds. In these worlds kids will interact and compete w/ other kids. Also, a teacher portal is available to allow teachers to sign up their class.
  8. Clever Island - Clever Island offers fun educational games for kids 3-8 in a variety of subjects such as: math, reading, spelling, etc.
  9. What2Learn - An excellent site for educational games where a teacher can track students progress through a paid account. Also, users can create custom made games as well.
  10. Abcya - A great site for elementary students that covers a wide variety of subjects. Also, has educational apps for mobile devices.

BooksLikes

BookLikes is a cool new (beta) site that is a social network for book lovers. This is a place where people can search for books by author, title, category, etc and then review them.

I recommend checking out BookLikes by clicking here!!

For other great sites on reading check out...

PhotoShow

PhotoShow is a excellent site for making visually stunning slideshows. All a user has to do is register then upload photos, select a them, add items/effects/stickers etc, and then save/download/share.



I highly recommend checking out PhotoShow by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 slideshow creators click here.

Book and a Hug

A Book and a Hug is a wonderful site for young readers of all ages. One of the best features of this site is the ability to search by age, reading level, category, etc. Once a book is found a user can read the reviews or even rate and review the book on their own. Think of this a kind of like an Amazon for kids.

I highly recommend checking out A Book and a Hug by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out Free Technology 4 Teachers.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Comindware

Comindware is a new company/site that is designed for collaboration and project/task management. This is done either through a web interface via a "cloud solution" or as a local install. They offer solutions such as project and process tracking, task management, issue tracking, help desk, etc etc.

I recommend checking out Comindware by clicking task management!!

Common Sense

Common Sense is a great site for parents and kids to help bring awareness of the internet and how best to navigate the online world. This site deals w/ big problems that kids may face and helps parents and kids learn online safety.

I highly recommend checking out Common Sense by clicking here!!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Edufire

Edufire is an excellent site for online learning through live video that I found out about from a friend on Twitter. This is all done online through an easy to use interface where people can find classes on topics they want to learn about. All learning is done through live interactive video. Also, a user can browse through channels and classes.

I highly recommend checking out Edufire by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for online learning/tutoring click here.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Creately

Creately is a nice site for making an online diagram or chart. Any user of Inspiration will feel right at home w/ this site as users have the ability to add objects, shapes, etc. Best of all, this being on the web, a user can share their diagrams w/ others to collaborate on a project.

I highly recommend checking out Creately by clicking here!!

Vidipedia

Vidipedia is like Wikipedia for video. A place where people can upload and edit video. Also, a user can rate and browse by categories for videos.

I recommend checking out Vidipedia by clicking here!!

Imageloop

Imageloop is a cool new free site/app for creating slideshows. This is an app for iPhoto/iPod touch that allows users to snap a photo and then immediately create a slideshow w/ the touch of a button. Once the slideshow is created it can then be shared to popular social networking sites, (ie, Twitter/Facebook).

I recommend checking out Imageloop by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for creating a slideshow click here.

Teacher Wall

Teacher Wall is a new site that allows teachers to upload a video/text on anything they want to share/educational topic. Mostly teachers state what their greatest success as a teacher has been. Also, a teacher can browse through videos by most popular or videos in your area.

I highly recommend checking out Teacher Wall by clicking here!!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

LoonaPix

LoonaPix is a site that reminds me a lot of Big Huge Labs. This is a great place to upload a photo, select an effect, and then save/download. A user can also add a border and trim/crop a picture to tweak their photos.

I recommend checking out LoonaPix by clicking here!!

Kidyos

Kidyos is an excellent site for kids that provides a safe way for 1-6 yrs old to interact w/ the internet. This is done through pre-approved, video, games and sites. Also, a classroom portal is in the works for teachers and students.

I highly recommend checking out Kidyos by clicking here!!

Story Something

Story Something is a fun and great interactive storytelling site for kids. This is a great place for kids to go to read along w/ short stories and be able to interact w/ them. By interact I mean, kids can click on some pictures or even edit a story by removing some of the words and replacing them w/ others (think Madlibs).

I highly recommend checking out Story Something by clicking here!!!