Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Home page for the state's department of education.

Learn what a QR code is and how it works. These little images have amazing powers! This blog post includes a link to install a QR reader onto your computer (works with your webcam). This site/tool works with both Mac and Windows/Linux.
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Do you sometimes just want to compare two things and not need a lengthy explanation of either? Diffen offers the simple goal of entering two terms and instantly receiving the similarities and differences in a table format. View simple definitions under the information table. Need more information? Wikipedia style entries of information area also available on the page. There is a Top 5 list. At the time of this review, the Top 5 included "Gross vs. Net," "Affected vs. Effected," "Meiosis vs. Mitosis," "DNA vs. RNA," and "Fruit vs. Vegetable. While not ALL topics are included, the variety is impressive. You can add your own comparison of terms to the list. You may want to discuss with your class the fact that the information here is only as reliable as the people who submitted it, and ask them whether they agree with the comparisons you find here. NOTE: If you explore some of the ready-mades or requested topics, there are some topics "compared" that are not school oriented, such as comparisons of popular television characters. Preview before turning students loose or simply direct them to a specific "diffen."

This site contains all the information that educators and parents need to know about keeping kids safe online. There are resources, publications, and links to help teach children about digital citizenship. The site also breaks down digital citizenship into nine themes.

Microsoft users, this site is for you! This site shares printable guides on how to use many of the most popular Microsoft products, such as Immersive Reader, Live Captions, and Reading Coach. Each guide includes a short explanation of the product and quick visual guides to essential components of the product. Most guides are on one easy-to-follow page; however, the guide with Digital Tools for Accessibility is thirty-seven pages and contains many helpful tips and suggestions for supporting students with disabilities. Click on the pop-out link on any of the thumbnails to view information as a full page and print.

Digital Learning Day is an annual February event spotlighting successful instructional practice and effective use of technology around the country. Choose the "About DLDay" option to find out more about the goals of Digital Learning Day, begin with a detailed description listing the characteristics of digital learning. View exemplary models, showcases, lesson portals, and more using links provided. Sign up as a participant for Digital Learning Day then plan your own classroom activity, provide a presentation to parents, or choose from other ideas offered on the site. Explore the Participate portion of the site to find digital tools, online resources, graphics, lesson plans and more. Sign up isn't required; however, it does allow you to receive emails with updates and learning ideas throughout the year. The digital learning content demonstrations are conducted in four areas: math, science, language arts, and civics/social studies; critical areas, such as working with ELL or special education students, will be woven into the lessons.

This interactive social bookmarking and collaboration tool does so much more than any ordinary bookmarking tool. It is a research curation tool, knowledge-sharing community, website annotation tool, and social information network all rolled into one "cloud" package. To get started, check out the About link. You will find information and videos on the uses of Diigo. Set up an account, being sure to click the FREE education edition upgrade. This is a device-agnostic tool, available on the web but also available for free as both an Android and iOS app. Use it from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. App and web versions vary slightly. At this time Diigo is experiencing issues with the "Top 10 Tags" from the menu on the left.

This tool can be used as a basic bookmarking tool, simply allowing YOU to save, sort, and access your own bookmarks from ANY computer or mobile device (once you are logged in). You have the choice whether your bookmarks are public or private. You can gradually ease into more advanced and interactive features: highlight parts of sites and save or share those annotations, add sticky notes to parts of websites, pictures, screen-shots, documents, audio, and more. Do group collaborative research. Organize your bookmarks by tags. Unlike sorting bookmarks into file folders, adding tags permits you to put multiple tags or "labels" on one site. The same site you tag for book reports could also be tagged for biographies, for example. Additional Diigo features include groups (a way to share and exchange bookmarks with a certain group of Diigo users), messaging, and search features. You can search all the public bookmarks made by others and discover other people with similar interests, already bookmarked and ready for you to mark as your own. There are many groups you can join, such as those with a specific teaching interest or hobby. See "Tools" for many helpful options, including bookmarklets to make bookmarking instant on multiple devices. Bookmarklets drag directly to the toolbars on your computer and are well worth it. It goes beyond simple bookmarking and adds options like highlight, capture, send, read later, comment, search bar and Diigo message options. You decide your own level of use and desired tools to be shown on the bar. If choosing not to install the toolbar, then there is an applet called Diigolet that will be used in its place. It is not as strong a tool as the toolbar, but will work well if the toolbar installation is not possible. Check our sample group. You can also install a widget on your blog (or class web page) that will show your bookmarks there.
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Make IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) reading easy with 15 separate fact sheets presented for school based disorders. This is a great resource whether you are a school psychologist, social worker, speech/language pathologist, special education teacher, classroom teacher, or school administrator. The list is organized alphabetically starting with ADHD-Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and runs the gamut of all kinds of disabilities in the areas of behavior, developmental, emotional, hearing, learning, reading, speech/language, and vision. Each fact sheet provides an easy to understand description of the disorder, numerous identifying characteristics, as well as classroom implications, practical tips for teachers, a glossary of acronyms such as OCD for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and additional resources.

Although tragic and difficult world events are challenging to discuss, it is important to understand that they are on students' minds as they come into the classroom. This article provides specific questions and discussion formats that help support students during difficult times and fosters a sense of community. The five basic questions offer students opportunities to share their feelings and reflect upon ways to address similar problems in the world and their community.

Take a close look at myths versus truths in Gifted Education at this informative site. Topics range from identification of gifted students through information on accelerated options. Browse through a series of over 10 myths related to Gifted Education and then view a short discussion of the truth. Each set of truths includes links to further information on the National Association for Gifted Children's website. You will find articles, studies, and webpages related to the specific myth being addressed.

The Distance Learning Toolkit is a 44 page PDF document that provides strategies for meeting the instructional needs of all students in distance learning situations. The methods are inclusive for all students; however, they focus on key mindsets and teaching practices for students who learn differently and pose unique instructional challenges. Each section provides information on different teaching strategies such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), flexible grouping, and positive behavior strategies. View this document online or print individual copies.

Washington D.C. learning standards.

Washington D.C. Board of Education.

Home page for the state's department of education

Finding and implementing engaging lessons is difficult and time-consuming; Ditch That Textbook offers practical teaching ideas that adapt quickly to all content and grade levels. There are three main areas of the site to search for resources - the Blog, Google Ideas, and Resources. Blog content includes suggestions for feedback, gamifying classrooms, and sources for finding free content. Use the keyword search to look for specific information. The Google Ideas section shares material for all things Google, including using Chromebooks. Scroll down the page to find ideas sorted by Google tools and links to videos, templates, and related blog posts. Select the Resources link to find an abundance of free templates, how-to videos, and tools for remote learning. Be sure to dig around at length; there is much more available on this site, including a handful of free online courses for educators. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

DIY Chart ("Do it yourself") is a simple online tool used to create interactive charts and graphs from any data. This tool is useful to teach the graphing of complex concepts online. though not as simple as other chart creators, the detailed and sophisticated charts are able to be embedded or printed for presentations and projects.
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Create a podcast using audio and videos clips featuring NASA scientists! Follow the steps to create the podcast, including writing a production script, downloading clips, recording your narrations, and editing. Use a digital recorder, camcorder, or your computer to record the audio. Download a brochure or bookmark to remember the links for creating the DIY Podcast. Click on the links along the right side of the page for great resources such as the DIY Podcast Blog for some great ideas. Several examples along the side include creating a fitness podcast, lab safety, Newton's Laws, Rocket Science, and Solar Arrays.

Remember to take a 2-minute stress relief break in your classroom and reinforce social-emotional learning (SEL) simultaneously with Do Nothing for 2 Minutes. When you enter the website, the 2 minute timer begins. Relax and enjoy the soothing sounds of waves and the beautiful beach image. If you do anything, such as move your mouse, the timer resets challenging you to take the full 2 minutes of relaxation time. What a fabulous tool for lowering your stress or refocusing!