Anita Foster

Interactive Reading and Writing, Oh MY!!

Would you like for your elementary students (and maybe even ESL students) to read books and write books online? This is a great site that allows you to read published books at various age ranges and write stories to be published on their site. And it is (a teacher's favorite word) FREE!!! (And no this is not owned by Google!) The membership is free, the resources are free and the hours of enjoyment, you got it, FREE!! You do not have to be a member to read the books. However, if you join, you can write stories and they will let you add books to your "bookshelf" to read later.

www.biguniverse.com

Here is a link to one of their books.

Thank you Amy for this wonderful site!!

Reading Strategies

I was recently helping my son with Reading Strategies at home and remembered I had signs and cards that teach illustrate the Reading Strategies. Well, they are packed in my garage and I knew I would never find them. So, I created new ones. I showed them to the ELA Supervisor in Cobb County and she asked for me to put them on her blog. I also included the "Five Fingers to Picking a Just Right Book" to help him also, so please feel free to visit her blog and download the poster (8.5 x 11) or the flashcards or the bookmarks I created!

The Google Classroom

I have great news! I have been accepted to present at the Florida Educators Technology Conference in January in Orlando. My topic will be the Googled Classroom. I have been working for some time on a Google Site that will host all of my tips, tricks and suggestions. Please feel free to look and use what is on the site, but also...let me know what you think!

The Google Classroom is also linked on the sidebar under my email and website address.

Banners and Text Creator

Wouldn't it be great if there was a way we could make banners in just a couple of clicks on the Internet? Well, there is... www.cooltext.com is a great resource for creating banners to use in presentations, blogs, websites or just about anything else. You can pick your font, color, effect...just about anything and then download your new creation to your computer and use. This site also has tons of free fonts you can download. Have fun!!

 

Google Cheat Sheet

Google is GREAT!! But sometimes when you search for something, it gives you too much information. What if we had a way to search one thing like France, but you don't want any searches regarding Paris? Or what if you want to search a specific term or saying? Well Google has created a Cheat Sheet that shows you short cuts and specific search options that ordinarily people don't us. Visit www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html to learn more.

Travel Into the Stars

Harriet Tubman once said, "Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

Well, Microsoft is wanting to make sure your reach the stars! Coming soon is a resource that will allow you to travel among the stars quickly and easily. You can plan trips, learn about the stars, planets and solar systems. But the cool thing is...it is FREE!! Watch this news video to learn more!!

http://video.techrepublic.com.com/2422-13792_11-190904.html
 

del.icio.us Training

del.icio.us is a great tool that anyone can use. It is absolutely FREE (a teacher's favorite word)!! It allows you to save your bookmarks from any computer on the Internet. Share with your students, colleagues and friends. You can even have people in your "Network" that you can share websites with. Let's say your friend in California also teaches the same grade and subject you teach. You can collaborate on websites and share among several teachers so the work of many can be used instead of the work of one!

Another great reason to use del.icio.us is to save time when you find a great resource while you are instructing. Instead of having the students type in a URL that seems five miles long, you can tag it in del.icio.us and they will then go to your account and click on the link.

I have been training at most of my schools on del.icio.us - Every teacher that has the training has said what a time saver this tool will be for their instruction and planning!! I am thrilled that they have enjoyed the training and can take what they have learned and begin implementing it immediately in their classroom. I have attached the handouts for you to use on your own in case you have missed the training. Lauralyn, another TIS, created these handouts for our use!

Download del.icio.us  for pc.pdf
Download del.icio.us tips for pc.pdf
Download del.icio.us for Mac.pdf
Download del.icio.us Tips for Mac.pdf

And in case you are wondering, my del.icio.us account is del.icio.us/alfoster68 

Wiki for Us to Collaborate

I have just created a wiki for teachers to collaborate and share resources and links. If you are interested in participating, the link is http://teachertechnologytips.wikispaces.com/ . Please feel free to contribute and collaborate. I have just created this wiki, so there is nothing on there yet. I hope that others will contribute as well.

Time for Kids

I came across this site yesterday and thought I would share. It has great mind maps and documents for grades K-6 (I am sure middle school can use some of these as well). Check it out and see what you can use.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

Educational Websites

I have come across some great websites for teachers to use over the years...and I am always on the lookout for more to add to my long list of resources. I think I have found some that you will really enjoy!

http://4teachers.org - A great site for teachers using technology in the classroom. It not only has great tips but many educational "game" sites for students to use.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php - This site helps you build a rubric for just about any project you assign your students.

http://www.teach-nology.com - This site has too many resources to list...from website generators (Yes, they even let you store your URL on their server!!) to lesson plans and worksheet generators.

http://www.novemberlearning.com - This is one of the national leaders in Instructional Technology Alan November's website. He has a lot of great resources and a blog that would be worth RSS.

Don't forget to check out my site www.intech4all.com which will be updated soon!!