Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Family Web Sites
















The following are family web sites that you'll find useful for various content areas and more! Enjoy!



BOOKS ONLINE

Candlelight Stories
http://www.candlelightstories.com/
Offers stories to read and audio books to listen to. It gives students an opportunity to connect with a pen pal from a different country, spelling and other language-based games, and links to other sites about reading.

Kaboose
http://www.kidsdomain.com/
Stories and games

Kids’ Corner
http://wiredforbooks.org/kids.htm
Features classic stories for reading enjoyment.

Storybook Online Network
http://www.storybookonline.net/
Stories to read and listen to. You can also write your own stories, as well as play book-related games.


HEALTH

Colgate Kids World
http://www.colgate.com/app/Kids-World/US/HomePage.cvsp
Features online games, puzzles, and other fun activities that teach about keeping teeth healthy.

5 A DAY
http://www.5aday.com/
Nutritional information to stay healthy and fit.

Kids Health Game Closet
http://kidshealth.org/kid/closet/
Features games and activities to help you explore your health and the human body.

Nutrition Sleuth
http://www.exhibits.pacsci.org/nutrition/sleuth/sleuth.html
As the famous nutrition detective, Inspector Snarfengood, you are tasked to handle all the toughest nutrition cases.


MATH

Cool Math 4 Kids
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
Features math games, problems, calculators, puzzles, and so much more.

ENC Learning Inc.
http://www.goenc.com/
ENC provides the resources and support for math and science educators necessary in order to help raise student achievement in these vital subjects.

FunBrain.com Math Baseball
http://www.funbrain.com/math/
Includes fun Math baseball games.

Funschool
http://games.funschool.com/games.php
Includes fun Math games and activities.

Primary Games
http://www.primarygames.com/
Includes educational games for math, language arts, social studies, and more.


READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS

Alphabet Activities
Play to learn with characters from Nickjr.com TV shows. Children will learn the ABCs with poems that introduce new pairs of letters, learn picture reading by choosing the correct picture to complete a sentence, and hunt for hidden letters and color them in.

Berenstain Bears
http://www.berenstainbears.com/
Official web site of Berenstain Bears.

Between the Lions
http://pbskids.org/lions/
This site is based on the popular PBS program show Between the Lions. It offers stories, games, and songs designed to promote reading as a fun pastime.

Book Adventure
http://www.bookadventure.org/
Reading incentive program for children.

Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site
http://www.carolhurst.com/
Children’s literature

Learn English Online
http://www.syvum.com/online/english.html
Language activities for kids. Includes activities and games designed to help children practice and improve their vocabulary, spelling, and grammar skills.

PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/
This site is based on the popular PBS program. It offers stories, games, and songs designed to promote reading as a fun pastime.

Primary Games
http://www.primarygames.com/
Includes educational games for math, language arts, social studies, and more.

READ*WRITE*NOW!
http://www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Activ97/early.html
Reading activities designed to promote the love of reading. This site also includes a suggested reading list.

Scholastic Poetry
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/index.htm
Features poetry on the Scholastic web site.

StoryPlace
Children learn beginning reading, counting, and coloring skills as they participate in activities based on five themes: animals, colors, teddy bears, crocodiles, and monkeys. Each activity includes an interactive story, an online activity, a take-home activity, and a reading list for parents. This is the web site of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Words and Pictures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/wordsandpictures
Phonics activities


SCIENCE

Birmingham Zoo
http://www.birminghamzoo.com/
Includes information about animals and their habitats, interactive games, online coloring pages, and an Animal Omnibus online database.

Dino Don Inc.http://www.dinodon.com/
Includes information about dinosaurs of all sizes and shapes. Children can view pictures of dinosaurs in the Dinosaur Art Gallery and participate in quizzes that tests their knowledge of dinosaurs. There are also links to the University of California Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley, Dinosaur Cartoons, and dinosaur exhibits, and so much more.


Dino Inquiry
http://www.ncsu.edu/sciencejunction/terminal/lessons/dino/
Dinosaur fossils

Geological Explorations
http://www.ncsu.edu/sciencejunction/terminal/lessons/geo/
Allows you to explore a variety of unique geological formations using Quicktime Virtual Reality (QTVR) panoramas and digital still imagery.

Google Earth
http://earth.google.com/
A 3D interface to the planet, including satellite imagery, maps, and the power of Google Search to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips.


SOCIAL STUDIES

Guess Who
http://www2.vol.at/HS_Mittelweiherburg/guess.htm
Famous people

Kids’ Space
http://www.kids-space.org/
Includes artwork from children around the world and gives them the opportunity to submit their own as well. Children can read stories written by other kids, listen to music composed and performed by other children, and communicate with pen pals through e-mail.

Landmark Game
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~carol/landmark.html
Famous landmarks

Little Horus
http://www.horus.ics.org.eg/
Egyptian tours

Multicultural Resources for Children
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/multipub.htm
Offers resources for teaching students about multiculturalism, as well as links to lists of books about diversity and various ethnic groups, such as African American, Native American, etc.

Primary Games
http://www.primarygames.com/
Includes educational games for math, language arts, social studies, and more.


The White House for Kids
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids
Led by White House pets Socks and Buddy, this site includes basic information about the White House, past presidents, a map that locates important buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C., and children who have lived there.


MISCELLANEOUS RESOURCES
KidsPsych
http://www.kidspsych.org/index1.html
Includes fun activities to help children develop cognitive-thinking and deductive-reasoning skills.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary/Thesaurus
http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm
http://www.webster.com/

Room 108
http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/108.html
An educational activity center for kids. The kids stories make this site unique with its sound and animation. This site includes lots of fun for children with an educational focus, including songs, art, math, kids games, children’s stories and so much more.

Spaghetti Book Club
http://www.spaghettibookclub.org/
Book review by kids for kids

Weekly Reader Online
http://www.weeklyreader.com/
Includes articles and resources featuring advice for students, teachers, and parents on coping with recent terrorist attacks.


SEARCH ENGINES

Ask for Kids
http://www.ajkids.com/
Ask Jeeves search engine for kids.

Yahooligans
http://www.yahooligans.com/
Yahoo’s search engine for kids.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Teaching with the Internet Presentation at UOG's 21st Annual Language Arts Conference

Pictured L-R: Paul Sekine; Ceferino Duarosan Jr.; Dr. Kate Mastruserio Reynolds, conference keynote speaker and associate professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in the departments of foreign languages and curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, instructor; Kate Pappano; and Gregory Mamay.

Graduate students enrolled in ED638: Teaching with the Internet presented at the University of Guam’s 21st Annual Regional Language Arts Conference held November 14 and 15 at the University of Guam and Holiday Resort & Spa. The theme of the conference was Reading and Writing Across the Content Areas: Empowering English Language Learners. The students’ presentation titled Using Internet Tools to Enhance ESL Instruction explored web sites aimed at enhancing ESL and content area instruction, writing, collaboration, professional development, instructional technology, website designing, blogging, and assessment. Please see the following to find out details about the Internet tools presented.

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 1

http://www.learnoutloud.com/


•LearnOutLoud is a website that offers audio and educational material for everyone
•There are over 15,000 titles available which offers a comprehensive selection of learning material
•LearnOutLoud would be beneficial to English Language Learners because it offers the teacher and student alike the knowledge to incorporate technology in the classroom

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 2


•iGoogle.com is a customizable AJAX start page much like Netvibes, Pageflakes and My Yahoo!
•It supports the use of specifically developed “gadgets” to display content on a user’s page
•iGoogle would be important for English Language Learners because it offers many features that would benefit all learners such as email, up to date news around the world, word and quote of the day, the usage of a dictionary and you tube presentations

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 3

https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLoginAuth?service=writely


• Online document creating and sharing for free
• No downloading required
• Access your documents, spreadsheets and presentations from any computer
• Share your work in real time with anyone
• Students can access their work in school and at home
• Students can publish their work
• Google docs would be beneficial to English Language Learners because it enhances any writing curriculum and introduces the world of technology



Teaching with the Internet, Tool 4

http://www.tripod.lycos.com/

•Create your own website or blog
• Web building tools
• Free image gallery
• Step-by-step set up instruction
• Create a classroom website or blog
• Open communication with parents
• Tripod would be beneficial to English Language Learners
because it enhances student communication and
technology skills

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 5

http://www.teachertube.com/

•Teacher Tube is an educational video sharing website where users can upload, view, and share video clips
•It is an online community where educators and students can share their educational instructional videos
•Teacher Tube is a great resource for finding lesson ideas and ways to use some of the videos for a lesson
•Teacher Tube benefits English Language Learners by engaging them through observation and listening. It allows the English Language Learner opportunities to search topics that are most meaningful to them. Teacher Tube is a great way for the English Language Learner to be comfortable learning at their own pace without the pressure or fear of being embarrassed

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 6

http://geocities.yahoo.com/


•Yahoo! Geocities is a webhosting service founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994
•It is a publishing community where you can set up your own web site free of charge
•Create and publish your own site using Page Wizard or Pagebuilder
•Geocities is a great way for English Language Learners to create their own sites and express themselves to family and friends. It allows them to maintain contact with their teacher and peers

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 7

http://delicious.com/

•Organize links to popular and useful sites
•Two levels of associations: tags and bundles
•Share your links and favorite sites with others
•Use the search feature to find relevant sites
•Access websites quickly and efficiently
•Delicious would be beneficial to English Language Learners by allowing them to quickly search, access, organize, and share websites that are of great educational, instructional, or informational value

Teaching with the Internet, Tool 8

http://www.4teachers.org/


•Developed by ALTEC (Advanced Learning Technologies Project) University of Kansas
•Devoted to helping educators with technology
•Access 15 tools in “4teachers family of tools”
•Find technology journals/organizations/sites
•Professional development resources and sites
•ALTEC Video Channel on YouTube (tutorials)
•4Teachers would be beneficial to English Language Learners because of its many features and links to resources that are focused on assisting students with unique needs