Sillybooks! 01/29/16

Check out Sillybooks.net and find a host of resources such as:

• online animated books 
• fun musical animations about a variety of topics
• games for kids
• and student-written books, as well!

http://www.sillybooks.net/Catalog.htm


Be sure to take a look at the Book Publishing Contest!
http://www.sillybooks.net/competition_page_one.htm 

Videos To Motivate Students 01/29/16

Class Dojo has some videos to help motivate younger students.
Check them out here:

https://www.classdojo.com/bigideas/

Each video includes a brief discussion guide, too!

Reminder - These videos are on YouTube, so they require a teacher login to display at the elementary level.

Thanks to Esmeralda Guerra for this link.

Young Scientist Challenge! 01/29/16

Discovery Education Challenge

Through April 20, 2016, students in grades 5-8 can share their solution to solve a real-world problem for the exclusive opportunity to work one-on-one with a 3M Scientist, win up to $25,000, and the chance to be named “America’s Top Young Scientist”.

Young Scientist Challenge

http://www.youngscientistchallenge.com/2016/01/2016-young-scientist-challenge-now-open-entries

Deadline - April 20, 2016

Free Clipart! 01/29/16

Discovery Education has beefed up their free clipart site!

Free Clipart via Discovery Education:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/

And another site that is useful for education:

Pics4Learning
Free, Copyright-friendly images for education
http://www.pics4learning.com/

Websites of the Week! Celebrating Math! 01/29/16

Flashcard Math

http://ascendmath.com/fcm/html5/index.html

Interactive Math Tools for Teachers and Students

http://illuminations.nctm.org/Search.aspx?view=search&type=ac

Lawson vs. Eduphoria 01/29/16

Browser compatibility issues continue to plague all Internet users. (so don't think you're special!!) This includes websites like Lawson and Eduphoria.  

Here are some tips for surviving the "Browser Wars" that all of us experience.  Disclaimer: This info might change next week! Ha!

• Google Chrome works fine with Eduphoria
• Google Chrome does not work fine with Lawson

• IE 9 and IE 11 work fine with Lawson (as long as you have set the Compatibility View settings for pasadenaisd.org)
• Open Internet Explorer
• Go to Tools-->Compatibility Settings-->Add pasadenaisd.org-->Close
• IE 9 does not work with Eduphoria (whether you've adjusted the Compatibility Settings or not)
• IE 9 does not work well with most Office 365 applications (you can use the old Outlook web app, but most of the other features don't)

HOWEVER....

• If you set the Compatibility Settings for pasadenaisd.org (to make Lawson work), Eduphoria WILL NOT work with IE 11

So, what is an Internet user to do?

• Use Eduphoria with Chrome
• Use Lawson with Internet Explorer 9 or 11, as long as you set the Compatibility View
• If you like to use Internet Explorer, consider upgrading to IE 11 so both Lawson and Office 365 will work successfully

How do you upgrade to IE 11?

• There are many ways to do this, but you can do the following if you are able to connect to the Internet:
• Open Internet Explorer
• Go to Help-->Online Support
• Click Find Downloads
• Locate the Browser choice

Interactive Tools from DreamBox 01/22/16

DreamBox Learning has math interactive resources for grades PK - 8.  

The link below has some of the interactives available (free) that can be used with an interactive whiteboard or tablet.

http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools

Google Tour Builder! 01/22/16

Check out Google's new Tour Builder. 
"Put your story on the map."

This is Google's easier version of creating a Google Earth tour.

• Teachers can create a virtual tour quickly and easily.  
• Students who are 13 years or older can create a personalized tour of anything from anywhere!
• Requires a Google account.
• Check out these examples:
• American Revolution
• Jane Goodall
• Central Coast - Marine Protected Areas

Google Tour Builder:  
https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/

Websites of the Week - Celebrating Music! 01/22/16

Music Pattern Match

• http://creatingmusic.com/BlockGames/3x3/ 
• http://creatingmusic.com/BlockGames/ComparingGame/
• http://pbskids.org/caillou/games/stars/index.html  
• http://pbskids.org/toopyandbinoo/index.php?ID=MAGC2JEU3 http://pbskids.org/toopyandbinoo/index.php?ID=CAPC1JEU1
• http://pbskids.org/toopyandbinoo/index.php?ID=MAGC2JEU1

Making “Music”

• Global Groovin - http://pbskids.org/mayaandmiguel/english/games/globalgroovin/game.html
• Cave Sounds - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/music/mm/rhythm02.shtml
• Drag notes to make 4 bar melody - http://www.classicsforkids.com/games/compose/compose.html
• Make the band  http://pbskids.org/martha/games/maketheband/index.html
• Piano to notation - http://www.flashmusicgames.com/music/piano_machine.swf
• Dot mixer - http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/exhibits/dotmixer/index.html
• Cyber pattern - http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/cyber-pattern-player/
• Step remix - http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/exhibits/stepping/index.html
• Online Mixing Game - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/fbs/mac/fbsmac.html
• Button Bass - http://www.buttonbass.com/

Miscellaneous Music Sites

• Guitar hero (in primary games) http://www.primarygames.com/arcade/music/upbeat/  
• Kidzone (New York Philharmonic) http://www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml? 
• PBS Music Games - http://pbskids.org/games/music/
• Virtual Keyboard - http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/music/piano/
• Musical mysteries various games - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/music/mm/index.shtml
• Rhythm game (imitate rhythms) - http://www.classicsforkids.com/games/rhythm/rhythm.html
• Incredibox - http://www.incredibox.com/

Print What You Like 01/15/16

This website lets you pick and choose what you would like to appear (or disappear) on a website.

http://www.printwhatyoulike.com

Remove items from the page display.

Create a printable version of the page.

Save an HTML version of the page.

Thanks to Cynthia Ramirez (from DPISD and a forever friend of the PISD's) for sharing this.

Pearson enVision Math 01/15/16

K-4th Grade Math Textbook
Student Login Information

In case you didn't know....
Students can log into Pearson enVision Math.  Teachers can assign an assessment and activities, as well as monitoring student progress.

Here are a few things to remember:

Website - tinyurl.com/pisdpearson

• Student Username - first initial + last initial + student ID
• Student Password - Student Network Password  

IMPORTANT NOTE - The password is NOT the same as the password for Istation, Think Through Math, and other commonly used elementary programs.  And this is where some of the student login issues occur.  The network password is assigned by PISD network administrators and includes the students birtdate. (Call if you need more information.)

So, if you hear of any teachers having problems with their students logging into Pearson EnVision math, contact any of these people for assistance:

• Campus Technology Liaison
• Emily Bourgeois - 78102
• Shane Tout - 78105
• Tom Deibel - 78101
• Charlene Strickland - 70143

SMART Notebooks! 01/15/16

YOU can use SMART Notebook files too!!

Here's how you can utilize these presentations without installing or purchasing any SMART software.

1. Go to this website - http://express.smarttech.com/#
2. Click the blue button titled - Open an Existing Notebook File
3. Navigate to and open the notebook file.  (Depending on the size of the file, the circular loading symbol can take a few seconds or more to load.)
4. Go from slide to slide using the slide view on the left (looks alot like PowerPoint and ActivInspire).
5. Use the annotation and erase tools at the top.
6. And if there is an interactive flash activity in the presentation, it will usually work fine (or with only minimal differences).

Looking for some SMART Notebook files to test this out?  Try these websites listed below.  Save the file to your computer or other storage location.  Then, follow the steps above to open the file.

1. http://www1.center.k12.mo.us/edtech/SB/templates.htm
2. http://exchange.smarttech.com/curriculum/curriculum-search.html
   Search by Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills-->Grade Level-->Subject Area.
   It is suggested that you save the file to your computer and then open using the Express site (see link at the top).