TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Oct 20, 2024

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

 

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3 Great Lesson Plans on Copyright - Common Sense and Bronwyn H.

Grades
K to 8
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Use the three lessons in this article to help your students learn about and respect the need to understand copyright and fair use. Let's Give Credit, for second grade, teaches ...more
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Use the three lessons in this article to help your students learn about and respect the need to understand copyright and fair use. Let's Give Credit, for second grade, teaches students why it is essential to give credit and how to give credit the right way through role-playing activities as detectives. A lesson plan for fourth graders guides students through the rights and responsibilities involved with using images. The Four Factors of Fair Use provides middle school students a framework for understanding fair use, copyright, and domain. Create a free account to access the lessons and materials shared. All lessons correlate with national standards, including ISTE, Common Core ELA, and CASEL.

In the Classroom

Include the shared lessons and activities as part of your digital citizenship curriculum. Use the provided handouts to guide students toward extended learning and discussion of proper digital citizenship practices. For example, second-grade students complete a Digital Citizens Report handout, and as an extension, ask students to create a list of credits for some of their commonly used online sites such as PBS Kids Reading Games, reviewed here or Scratch, reviewed here.
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OK2Ask: Remix & Reuse Responsibly: Copyright for Digital Citizens - TeachersFirst

Grades
2 to 12
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This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from April 2024. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

Students need to
...more
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This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session is from April 2024. You can register and immediately view the archive of the session.

Students need to understand copyright laws and responsible content creation as they engage in various academic projects and creative endeavors. This workshop will equip you with the essential knowledge and strategies you need to effectively teach copyright concepts to your students. Together, we'll explore the legal and ethical implications of using other people's work and the creative and educational benefits of remixing and reusing content. Discover various tools and resources to help you and your students find, evaluate, and cite free or licensed content for reuse and gain valuable insights that will help you seamlessly integrate copyright literacy into your teaching practices. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Understand the basic copyright laws and how they apply to educational settings. 2. Explore strategies for teaching students to remix and reuse content in their projects responsibly. 3. Gain practical resources and tools that support copyright education in the classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

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Tomorrow Classroom - Wix

Grades
8 to 12
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Tomorrow Classroom provides learning tools for students aged 13-18 including web creation, design, and coding. Students create portfolio websites, capstone projects, passion projects,...more
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Tomorrow Classroom provides learning tools for students aged 13-18 including web creation, design, and coding. Students create portfolio websites, capstone projects, passion projects, and more using these lessons. Begin by creating a teacher account or logging in to your current Wix account and completing the registration questions. Create a class by importing students from Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams, or invite students by email. Educators can access a Curriculum Guide, Design Journal, and downloadable class kits and lessons for each activity. Four courses are available - Intro to Wix and the Web, Web Creation, Web Design, and Web Development. Lessons provide alignment to ISTE Standards for Students.

In the Classroom

Use the courses provided on this site as part of your computer science program or as a learning activity for students interested in website design. You can also use the learning tools and courses as part of an after-school program. If time isn't available to offer all the courses, take advantage of the available materials to teach some of the individual components, such as Lesson 1--What is the Web? This activity teaches students to look at the components of websites to understand the message delivered and what makes them attractive to viewers. Find free website creation tools at TeachersFirst Edge Web Page Makers, found here.

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Unlock Generative AI Safely and Responsibly - Classroom Toolkit - Microsoft Learn and Cyberlite

Grades
6 to 9
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Teach middle school students how to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) safely and responsibly using the lesson and materials provided by Microsoft Learn. The toolkit includes...more
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Teach middle school students how to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) safely and responsibly using the lesson and materials provided by Microsoft Learn. The toolkit includes a teacher's guide, PowerPoint lesson presentation, classroom agreement document, and a PDF document sharing the elements of a good prompt. The lesson helps students develop skills in fact-checking, good digital hygiene habits, safeguarding data privacy, and strategies for managing well-being. The lesson components include an introduction, two thirty-minute activities, and a closure reflecting critical takeaways of the lesson materials.

In the Classroom

Use the provided lesson materials to introduce and discuss the use of AI with your students. If time isn't available to complete all lesson activities, choose different components available with your student to teach how to provide effective prompts using AI generators or adapt the activities to match the content discussed in your current lessons. If your students use AI image generators like Bing Image Creator, reviewed here, share and discuss the information that guides students towards creating and revising prompts to achieve the desired results and how to recognize bias found in generative AI outputs.

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Resources for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Productivity - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
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Learn about and explore artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and tools educators can use to automate administrative tasks and improve student learning outcomes using the resources...more
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Learn about and explore artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and tools educators can use to automate administrative tasks and improve student learning outcomes using the resources in this collection. These tools can help leverage AI's power to increase your productivity and efficiency in the classroom. Many tools can also allow AI to personalize student learning experiences and optimize lesson planning.

In the Classroom

Use this collection to save time doing many tasks, from creating assessments to writing prompts, rewriting your emails in a new tone, and much more. Bookmark this site to use to find new ways to increase your productivity and lower your time required using the power of AI!

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Cyber Academy - Trend Micro

Grades
3 to 5
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Cyber Academy offers several lessons in internet safety for kids aged seven to ten through short video episodes and accompanying tasks. Lesson topics include passwords, safety settings,...more
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Cyber Academy offers several lessons in internet safety for kids aged seven to ten through short video episodes and accompanying tasks. Lesson topics include passwords, safety settings, misinformation, and others. Each lesson begins with a short (approximately three-minute) animated video followed by a conversation guide with discussion questions. In addition, a Kahoot quiz, reviewed here, offers an additional opportunity to reinforce the information shared in the lesson. Finally, a printable homework activity is available for students to review the lesson through activities such as crossword puzzles and word searches. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

In the Classroom

Include these lessons as part of your internet safety activities by adding them as a computer center activity or a flipped or blended learning activity. Consider adding a new lesson weekly or monthly as part of your year-long discussions on becoming a safe digital citizen. Enhance the video information using an interactive tool such as Timelinely, reviewed here, to add comments, insert supporting media, or links to additional information. Ask students to create short videos sharing their learning, then add them to a class book made with Book Creator, reviewed here. As you complete each lesson, add new videos to create a reference book that includes all the material learned.
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Georgia Virtual Learning Shared Resources - Georgia Virtual Learning

Grades
5 to 12
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Georgia Virtual Learning is the online education headquarters for the Georgia Department of Education and offers over 100 virtual courses for middle and high school students. Choose...more
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Georgia Virtual Learning is the online education headquarters for the Georgia Department of Education and offers over 100 virtual courses for middle and high school students. Choose from studies in all core content areas and the fine arts and world languages. An additional option features courses in CTAE/Electives. These offerings include classes in finance, computer science, fitness, and more. After selecting a course to view, use the module to proceed through the contents. Each module includes an introduction featuring essential questions and interactive content and concludes with final assessments and a module test.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site as a supplemental resource for your current lessons, as a resource for students to learn about subjects not covered in their current courses, and to differentiate learning for students. For example, provide remediation to high school students by sharing the 9th or 10th-grade literature and composition courses as a review activity or enhance your British Literature unit by assigning a module that focuses specifically on 17th, 18th, or 19th-century British literature. Consider assigning different activities to groups of students to present to their peers. Ask them to use an infographic creator such as the Canva Infographic Creator, reviewed here, as a tool for sharing important information. As a final learning extension, create a digital class book using Ourboox, reviewed here, to share understanding of the content learned. Include text, images, maps, and more in the student-created books.

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Verizon Innotive Learning HQ - Verizon

Grades
K to 12
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Innovative Learning HQ shares professional development resources in technology for educators, classroom lessons designed to bring STEM education to bridge the digital divide across...more
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Innovative Learning HQ shares professional development resources in technology for educators, classroom lessons designed to bring STEM education to bridge the digital divide across under-resourced communities, and various AR/VR apps. Create a free account to access over 100 lesson plans and professional development sessions that provide micro-credentials. Browse the featured resources or select activities by content area. Most activities provide a focus on virtual reality or augmented reality and include a facilitator's guide, introductory videos, and student activity worksheets. In addition, lessons offer options for teaching to different grade level bands that form a progression of learning. Tasks include correlation to Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core Standards, and ISTE Standards. Finally, professional development courses provide coaching, collaboration, blended learning, and more learning opportunities. The on-demand modules are approximately 3-4 hours in length and offer the chance to apply for a micro-credential certificate upon completion.

In the Classroom

Discover the many ready-to-go free resources offered through Innovative Learning HQ in classroom lessons and for your professional development needs. If unsure of how to find assignments for your grade level, visit your dashboard to find recommended activities. After selecting tasks for students, use the provided modules to deliver instruction. Most activities are perfect for use in computer labs, a computer center, or a blended learning activity.
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Adobe Education Khan + Create Activities - Adobe Education and Khan Academy

Grades
K to 12
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Adobe Education and Khan Academy have partnered to share guided activities for all grade levels from kindergarten through higher learning. Activities begin with Khan Academy created...more
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Adobe Education and Khan Academy have partnered to share guided activities for all grade levels from kindergarten through higher learning. Activities begin with Khan Academy created materials to build knowledge through activities that encourage creation, self-expression, and immersion in the topics provided. Select any topic to view a description and correlation to ISTE learning standards. Topics include math, language and literature, science, and social studies. Sign in to download each lesson to your computer that provides for links to all activities and tutorials for using technology tools included in the activities.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this excellent site to use as a resource for finding and developing lessons for both in-person and online learning. Lessons found on this site includes links to videos and articles found on the Khan Academy website, use bookmarking and collaborative resources such as Symbaloo EDU, reviewed here, or Padlet, reviewed here, to share the Khan Academy links along with other helpful resources for students. Use a word cloud tool like WordClouds, reviewed here, to motivate and encourage students to think about the topics shared at the beginning of your activities. If you prefer to use additional multimedia resources in addition to the Adobe products shared in the lessons, browse through the TeachersFirst Edge Tools, reviewed here, to find additional tools for creating videos, webpages, collaboration, and much more.
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CS Intro - Microsoft

Grades
6 to 12
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CS Intro is a series of three semester-length coding lessons designed to teach developers coding starting from the basics. Lessons begin with the basics of creating games using block...more
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CS Intro is a series of three semester-length coding lessons designed to teach developers coding starting from the basics. Lessons begin with the basics of creating games using block and script programming functions. Use the menu bar on the top left corner to navigate the site. The final course transitions learning from block and script programming to using JavaScript and ends with a final project of developing and building a complete game. Also included on the CS Intro page are beginning and intermediate tutorials for programming skills with TinkerGen's GameGo. Be sure to click the link on the landing page to check out the courses for CS Intro on Flip, reviewed here.

In the Classroom

Share these courses and tutorials with students who are interested in computer programming or as part of an after-school programming offering. Encourage students to keep notes to use as they continue along their learning path or as a reflection upon their work using Google Documents or Microsoft Word. Encourage students to include screenshots to annotate as part of their reflective process, one option is to use Awesome Screenshot, reviewed here, to annotate their image, and include links to additional resources used in the coding process. Extend learning with a final project; in addition to students sharing their completed games, ask them to create a series of tutorials for other interested students using FlexClip, reviewed here.

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GCF Learn Free - GCF Learn Free

Grades
K to 12
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GCF Learn Free offers a large selection of topics, lessons, videos, and more designed to offer training in essential skills needed to live and work in the 21st century. Registration...more
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GCF Learn Free offers a large selection of topics, lessons, videos, and more designed to offer training in essential skills needed to live and work in the 21st century. Registration isn't required; however, it allows you to save progress within courses. Topics range from technology basics, software training, career planning, and much more. Learn Free also has links to information for educators, including Teachers Guides and Resources and Tools.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of these free courses to brush up your computer and technology skills. Share links to specific tutorials with students for use with classroom projects. For example, share the Google Docs course with students to help them learn how to use and manage Google Drive, documents, and complete basic tasks. Be sure to share tips with parents too for their personal use. Consider sharing a section of a course each week on your website for students to learn about various tools in bite-sized pieces. For a more immersive learning experience, use Curipod, reviewed here, to create a learning path for students that includes information from this site along with YouTube videos, quizzes, and links to other learning resources. Extend student learning further by asking them to create their tutorials based on class needs. If your class is having difficulties organizing and sharing information within Google Drive, for example, ask knowledgeable students to create an explainer video using Clipchamp, reviewed here, to use as a guide.

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Excel Easy - E-Learning

Grades
K to 12
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Do you need some help with Excel basics and functions? Excel Easy uses fully illustrated tutorials to walk you through Excel sheets from start to finish. Use the links at ...more
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Do you need some help with Excel basics and functions? Excel Easy uses fully illustrated tutorials to walk you through Excel sheets from start to finish. Use the links at the top of the site to select from options starting with the basics, functions, and data analysis. Choose the 300 Excel Examples to find tutorials on any topic quickly. Each tutorial includes step-by-step directions, including images to guide users through each portion of the directions.
This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site for your use and for student use on classroom computers. Make it easy to find sites with tutorials by creating a Padlet, reviewed here, to share with students. Use columns to sort tutorials and other helpful sites by topic within your Padlet. If you don't find a tutorial that you need, extend student learning by asking them to create their own using Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here, or by creating an explainer video using FlexClip, reviewed here.

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Barefoot Computing - BT in partnership with Computing At School

Grades
K to 5
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Discover a variety of computational thinking resources for elementary students including lessons, activity sheets, PowerPoints, and downloadable classroom posters. Register for an account...more
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Discover a variety of computational thinking resources for elementary students including lessons, activity sheets, PowerPoints, and downloadable classroom posters. Register for an account using your email to access and save materials found on the site. Browse through activities by grade level or topics. Topics include programming, collaboration, logical thinking, and more. Be sure also to check out the Teacher Resources to find professional development to bring you up to date with the latest computing concepts.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the lessons and materials on this site to introduce computer and computational skills to elementary-age students. Several activities incorporate music and art concepts; collaborate with your school's special area teachers to teach lessons found on the site. Use a portfolio tool such as Seesaw, reviewed here, to have students enhance and share their learning successes through sharing pictures of projects and written reflections on learning activities. Work together as a class to modify classroom technology by creating a digital book using WriteReader, reviewed here, to feature class learning of computer concepts.

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Copyright and Fair Use Resources - TeachersFirst

Grades
1 to 12
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Understanding copyright is essential for students living in today's digital world. Copyright protects original creative works, allowing the creators to control how their material is...more
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Understanding copyright is essential for students living in today's digital world. Copyright protects original creative works, allowing the creators to control how their material is used and shared. In the classroom, respecting copyright shows students why intellectual property rights and using content ethically matter. By teaching copyright principles, educators prepare students with the necessary knowledge for future courses, careers, and participation in our copyright-respecting world. This collection provided valuable resources for teaching students and staff the basics of copyright. The resources allow for discussions around plagiarism, piracy, and Internet ethics. It includes guidelines on fair use, how to credit sources appropriately, and updated copyright laws and policies.

In the Classroom

Use these resources to model and teach ethical use of electronic media or to find copyright-safe raw materials for student projects. Be sure to share these resources with students for them to access any time they have a project to do.

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