Thursday, September 30, 2010

PreK-8 online math practice keyed to G E's




IXL's math skills are aligned to the 2004 Vermont Grade Level Expectations and the 2003 Vermont Early Learning Standards, providing comprehensive preparation for the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). With IXL's state standards alignments, you can easily find unlimited practice problems specifically tailored to each required standard.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

 The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM) is an NSF supported project that began in 1999 to develop a library of uniquely interactive, web-based virtual manipulatives or concept tutorials, mostly in the form of Java applets, for mathematics instruction (K-12 emphasis).  Thanks to Patty Kelly (SSS) for reminding me about this great site.

Two wonderful sites that you should explore!


 Starfall.com opened in September of 2002 as a free public service to motivate children to read with phonics. Our systematic phonics approach, in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education, homeschool, and English language development. This site was recommended by Theresa Symancyk (HES).

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Our partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.  FreeRice is a wonderful game that enables a donation to be made to the World Food Program (sponsored by the U N).  This site was recommended by Lynda Shannis (HES).

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Sept 29th Professional Development Evaluation Form

Before you leave your workshop this afternoon, please fill out the evaluation form.

Don't forget to hit the SUBMIT button!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Planning for Technology Integration in the Science Classroom with the School 2.0 Etoolkit and Other Resources


WHEN: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
12:30 pm PDT/1:30 pm MDT/2:30 pm CDT/3:30 pm EDT (Duration: 1 hour)
COST: FREE, but registration is required
Tour the U.S. Department of Education’s etoolkit website with more than 700 free resources to help educators with technology integration in the classroom. Discover resources that will help you and your school or district plan for successful technology implementation into the curriculum and classroom.
Also, explore the NSTA Learning Center. You’ll see and experience tools and resources that are designed to help educators identify content knowledge gaps and document their growth toward excellence. The NSTA Learning Center (http://learningcenter.nsta.org) has more than 5,200 electronic resources and tools for science educators’ on-demand professional development.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Vermont Parents' Home Companion & Resource Directory

Prevent Child Abuse Vermont publishes an annual publication called the Vermont Parents' Home Companion and Resource Directory (VPHC) annually, and they are now in their 21st year. VPHC is a parenting guide to child development featuring golden tips for everyday problems and a complete list of local and statewide resources for children and families listed by each county in Vermont. 

Thanks to Jennifer Christoffers, WES school nurse and Frank Treu, WES guidance counselor for providing this information.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Two great Freebies!

Download and convert YouTube videos into a variety of formats. (The free version allows you to convert up to 3 YouTube videos/day.)

Convert .pdf files into Word

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Have you been to the Literacy Web?

The Literacy Web is designed to promote the use of the Internet as a tool to assist classroom teachers in their search for best practices in literacy instruction (by grade level), including the new literacies of Internet technologies. http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/index.htm

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Back-to-School Guide: Jump Start Learning With New Media



Here it is! Edutopia’s updated guide of the best tools, tips, and resources to help you get the school year off to a great start!
Whether you're new to teaching or a classroom veteran, this resource-packed collection of 10 top new media tips provides fresh ideas and easy-to-use tools to engage your students and make learning more collaborative.
Thanks to Mary Alice Powers, high school Librarian for sending the link.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Questions about FirstClass?



Download the Getting Started Guide.

NETS*S Performance Indicators by Grade Level


Although you have probably seen ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S), you may not be sure what these standards actually look like at the grade level(s) that you teach. Check out the NETS*S followup document entitled Profiles for Technology Literate Students-Performance Indicators.

Classroom Scenarios Wiki


Have you looked at the new VT Transformation-Technology Classroom Scenarios?  They're wonderful!  Visit the Wiki, where you will find the scenarios grouped by grade level and NETS*S standards.  If you have used any of the scenarios, you could add comments or just read what other teachers have said. http://transformation-technology.wikispaces.com/K-2Communication+%26+Collaboration

Friday, September 3, 2010

It's that time of the year again!



November 3-5 @ Killington Grand, in Killington VT 


Everything you need to know may be found at http://sites.google.com/a/vita-learn.org/vita_vtf10/