Instructify

BY KEVIN HODGSON

My StoryMaker is the perfect tool for younger students just learning about plot design and character development for short stories. Hosted by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, My StoryMaker walks students through the process of story creation using a variety of online tools.

My StoryMaker requires no login other than a first name. Kids choose a main character from a limited menu of possibilities, pick what they want that character to be doing (on a rescue mission? Finding love?) and then designate which secondary character is also involved in the story. These steps are laid out in a very basic, easy-to-use method. The story editor then launches and, in a nice touch, there is an audio tutorial matching up with the text tutorial on the next steps.

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BY KEVIN HODGSON

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say most people now understand there is a wealth of valuable and interesting videos on YouTube. Of course, there is a wealth of not-so-great content, too, and often the good and the bad sit next to each other. Kideo Player is a website that showcases fun and educational videos for very young viewers by filtering out content inappropriate for young eyes.

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BY AARON FOWLES

It’s no secret that kids in America aren’t eating well; any trip to the snack aisle in the supermarket is sufficient evidence of that. We also know that kids aren’t exercising. What we don’t know, clearly, is how to fix it. The negative trend in childhood and adolescent health has continued, and is exaggerated in low-income areas.

The United States Department of Agriculture has given us MyPyramid.gov as a resource to address personal health, as well as tools to reach students. The site has tools that are useful for kids ages 6 and up.

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BY KEVIN HODGSON

Scholastic may be out to sell books, but it has some pretty neat writing resources on its website that just might inspire the next generation of novelists. In particular, the Scholastic site has an area called “Writing with Writers” that might be of interest to teachers and students because it pulls back the veil on the writing process. With featured authors such as Jane Yolen, Virginia Hamilton, and Jack Prelutsky, Writing With Writers brings viewers into the world of composing and then urges young writers to do the same.

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BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

Okay, when I first saw this website (and got a look at its name), I was thinking to myself, “wait…what?” But after taking the time to explore The Country Dog Gentlemen Travel to Extraordinary Worlds, I saw it offers a nice exploration of art history through the use of technology.

In a nutshell, the site looks at famous works of art and the artists who created them through the lens of two really surreal-looking dogs. After you explore the artwork, there is an interactive area where you can create your own artworks based on the famous piece you just explored. It’s easy to navigate and would be appropriate for younger students to self explore.

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BY BILL FERRIS

During the entire month of June, your students can access CarrotSticks for free. As Jason reported in April, CarrotSticks normally only lets kids play addition mode for free. For the next few weeks elementary learners can also practice their subtraction, multiplication, geometric proofs, and division. It could be a fun way to promote some educational fun instead of TV.

CarrotSticks

Related stuff:

Sharpen your math skills with CarrotSticks

BY REBECCAH HAINES

No matter how much you want to deny it, cool names and flashy advertising is often what draws you to try out a product. Well, with Weebly.com, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t check it out because I liked the name. Of course, once I got to the site, I found it to be a very simple website maker, and something that teachers might like to use in their classrooms.

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BY KEVIN HODGSON

Storybird opens up another door to publishing student written work in the form of picture books. The site, which technically is still in beta, is constructed around the idea of using illustrations and artwork for storytelling. The site has many, many collections of beautiful and interesting pictures available for use.

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BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

If you’re like me, you remember with fondness long nights with your friends, your trusty plastic icosahedron, pencils and paper, and junk food. I’m talking about Dungeons and Dragons of course, the game many of us geeks played when we were younger and had a lot more time on our hands. At one point blamed by pundits and media outlets as a bad influence on children, D&D is now making inroads in libraries and touting its value toward teaching children problem solving, teamwork, and mathematics and reading skills.

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BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

This particular item comes from a teacher in my daughter’s elementary school and it’s an excellent resource for reading comprehension and literacy. Tar Heel Reader is a free online repository of downloadable books. File formats vary somewhat but they’re all mainstream file types so there shouldn’t be any compatibility issues.

These books are also fully compatible with augmentative communication devices so this resource is much more valuable if you are working with mobility-impaired students, as reading tools are often hard to come by or there is a great lack of variety.

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BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

Back in my day, it was Math Blaster! for our classes’ Apple IIe, and I couldn’t get enough. But these days, client side games are so 2000s — everything is browser-based as internet connectivity becomes more universal. Such is the case with the free-to-play, internet-based CarrotSticks. It’s a pretty straightforward math game that rewards players for correctly answering mathematical questions of varying difficulties.

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BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

I grew up on LEGOs, probably a top-three toy during my childhood. It’s one of the things I purchased for my kids as soon as they were old enough. So when LEGO announced its 2010 LEGO Smart contest it was a sure fire Instructify post.

The contest is only for educators — in a contest involving toys, students aren’t eligible for some reason — and the contest kit is free of charge. The contest revolves around creative ways to use LEGOs in an educational capacity. Past winners have found interesting ways to integrate the aspects of LEGO toys into lesson plans and use them as teaching tools.

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BY KEVIN HODGSON

In those spare moments of class — those five to 10 minutes before the bell rings — I will often reach for my large stack of Mad Libs. As a teacher, I like that Mad Libs reinforce parts of speech and use humor in storytelling. My students also love the craziness that comes from the strange juxtaposition of words out of context, and they also enjoy pairing up or working in small groups to create these crazy stories that have been around for years. And just try to stop students from reading aloud what they have written. It’s nearly impossible.

For the paperless classroom, or perhaps for those empty 10 minutes when a student is done with a technology project while the rest of the class works, the Wacky Web Tales site can offer a nice Mad Lib-like diversion and, like the Mad Libs of old, the story activities reinforce creativity and understanding of parts of speech. (more…)

BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

My daughter, who is three, sent me a picture message from school yesterday (with the help of her teacher), and it just reinforced the reality that children are accessing the internet and mobile devices much younger these days. While the internet is such a valuable resource to bring concepts to life and research new topics, it also has large areas we would rather our kids not see. Figuring out a feasible plan to not only protect your kids from the seedy side of the internet but also explain to them why you’re doing it can be a delicate balancing act.

The people at NetSmartz are trying to make internet safety and education a little easier. (more…)

BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

Let me just say it: I love PBS. From the documentaries, to the quality children’s programming, it’s one of my favorite channels to watch. But my love of Cookie Monster aside, did you know that PBS had developed a top-notch web resource for teachers? If the answer was no, then you owe it to yourself and your students to spend a planning period looking at the PBS Teachers website.

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