TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Sep 20, 2020
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
The Pack - New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Utilize the Teacher-Guide to find ideas for classroom use. Use the table in the guide as a starting point to document and organize student learning. As students play The Pack, use a spreadsheet tool such as Excel or Google Sheets to recreate the table in the guide and add additional areas of documentation. Enhance student learning by having students use a screen recording tool like Screencastify, reviewed here, to share different portions of the game and their chosen actions. As a final activity, and to extend student learning, ask students to create their own environmental learning game using Scratch, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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URF Academy - Riot Games
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this curriculum as part of an after-school program or as a learning center activity. Browse through the learning materials and activities to learn about and understand the basics of game design, then use this information to develop a resource for students to evaluate online games and game software they use at home. Use Google Documents or Microsoft Word to develop a rubric for students to use when evaluating online games. As students become competent at creating and evaluating computer games, ask them to share their knowledge with others using a video explainer tool such as Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here. Use Adobe Express Video Maker to demonstrate and explain how to evaluate games based upon the principals provided in this curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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My Plate Match Game - Dairy Council of California
Grades
2 to 6In the Classroom
Use this interactive as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson about nutrition on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Discuss not only the colors of the food groups but the portions on the plates. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to enhance learning by having students brainstorm a list of activities, games, and sports they would suggest to be active 60 minutes per day. With Padlet you can create columns for the different types of activities. Post a link on your class website for parents and students to use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Construct3 - Construct.net
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Include Construct3 with your other options for teaching coding to students. Take advantage of the included levels to differentiate learning based on knowledge of coding. If you are uncomfortable with coding, enlist students to become technology coaches in your classroom to teach and share their knowledge with others. Use and share Google Forms to create how-to guides for students to get started including images with tips and suggestions. Ask "in-the-know" students to enhance their learning and create one-page websites using Jimdo, reviewed here, sharing advice for individual games included in Construct3. As students become familiar with coding, have them use FlexClip, reviewed here, to extend their learning by creating simple explainer videos detailing how to build and share personalized games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bad News - Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab and DROG
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
This game is perfect for use as an introduction to lessons on digital citizenship, media literacy, and social media. Share the site with your students to explore on their own and encourage them to play several different times using the different options provided. Your students won't mind playing over and over; it is easy to get hooked on trying to find the best way to gain as many followers as possible! Once students become familiar with the game and the different options presented for spreading misinformation, ask them to apply their findings to online content. Have them do some online research to find sites or information using tactics such as emotion and the others featured in Bad News. As they research sites and online information, have them add links to the sites they find on a class Padlet. Padlet, reviewed here, offers an option to create columns, use this option then label a column for each badge found in the game and ask students to share a link to their sites in the appropriate column. In addition to adding a link, have students include a comment providing information on why their site belongs in the category. Instead of assessing learning with quizzes or a written report, enhance learning and transform your assessment by having students create infographics to share information learned. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, provides easy to use templates to create interesting and informative infographics. Extend leaning and ask students to become the teacher using Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here, to create an online learning activity teaching others on how to recognize and avoid disinformation found online. Be sure to share your assessment rubric with students as part of your assignment. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Fiscal Ship - Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at Brookings
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Share this game with students as part of your study of government and economics. Choose YouTube video explanations of taxes and entitlements to help students understand these topics, then use a tool like Edpuzzle, reviewed here, to add questions and comments to the videos to increase student understanding. Ask students to explore one of the topics found during the game and create an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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oodlu - Wayne Holmes and Douglas Lapsley
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Use oodlu to differentiate learning in your classroom. Assign questions sets to different groups of learners according to their specific needs. Be sure to show students how to log in and access questions (if your class is remote learning, show students the log in, etc. by using a video conference room such as Zoom, reviewed here, and then include a link to the site on your class webpage for students to play at home. At the end of your unit, enhance learning and augment technology use by asking students to plan a multimedia presentation using a tool like Milanote, reviewed here, where you can turn your notes into a storyboard for this project! Extend learning and modify technology use by having students use the Storyboard to create a multimedia presentation with a tool like Sway, reviewed here, to share their learning. Have students include text, images, videos, and a link to oodlu learning games in the Sway.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Typing Trainer - Typing Master, Inc
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
This site includes many ads. Before having students use the tools on their own, share this site on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector and demonstrate how to avoid the advertisements. Once students understand how to use the site, share a link on classroom computers and your class website for individual practice. Challenge students to increase typing speed and create a spreadsheet to record progress. Convert spreadsheets into a more visual table format using Tableizer, reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts with a typing tip of the week to share with the class. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here. Be sure they type their script ahead of time!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Poki Educational Games - Poki
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
This site contains many advertisements, demonstrate how to avoid the ads on your interactive whiteboard with younger students before independent use. Share links to games on classroom computers and your class website. Share with parents for practice at home. Use Dotstorming, reviewed here, to survey students to see which of several games was a favorite. With Dotstorming students are allowed to vote and make comments. After voting, challenge students to create their own game, similar to the one voted most popular using a tool such as Scratch, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Game-Based Learning Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Share these tools on your class website or blog for students to use both in and out of the classroom. Use these tools to differentiate and reach all students at the various levels. Challenge your students to create their own games for review of content or acceleration options.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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