In the words of Elmer Davis, "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." These words cannot be more true—which is why my Tech Club students and I chose to utilize them at the beginning of the Veterans Day video tribute we produced for an assembly program that was held at our high school yesterday to honor the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces. Check it out below… A shout out to Kermit, Alex and Aubree for working with me to complete a very worthwhile project! Classroom Connection: Use the video to remind students of the importance of honoring and remembering past and present members of our military. HBHM♥2013

It’s Tuesday again and that means it’s time to roll out another tech-isode in my "Tech It Up Tuesday" series in which I will share an edtech tool, app, site or other resource that can be utilized in the educational setting. This week’s selection focuses on Snappy Words, an online visual dictionary and thesaurus that assists users with finding the meaning of words and connections to associated words via an interactive graphic. Here’s how it works: Just type the desired word into the search box and click Go or simply hit Enter, and the interface will generate a web of related words, phrases, and definitions. To explore additional info within the word web, complete one or more of the following: Hover your cursor over any word or phrase to read its definition; Click and drag any node to discover other branches of the web; Double click on a node to generate new web branches; and/or scroll the mouse over words to view words and meanings more clearly. Still not quite sure what this "cool tool" does? Then check out the example shown below based on the keyword journey… Snappy Words also provides the user with a key to explain the colors and lines on the visual. Pretty nifty, eh? Oh, and did I mention that besides being simple to use, Snappy Words is free, no registration is required, no software installation is needed, and there is no limit on the number of searches a user can conduct. Classroom Connection: Snappy Words provides students with a fun and easy to use digital alternative for locating definitions and alternative word choices for their writing assignments. There is no finish line so love the journey! ♥

As Quincy Jones once remarked, "I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth." That said, Edu-fun Friday is a series devoted to adding some humor to the lives of teachers who visit this blog. After all, there’s nothing better than ending the week on a positive note! Plus, do we have the best topics to provide us with some comic relief or what? Yet some educators believe just that!

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for some of the latest and greatest "Cool Tools" and/or web resources that can be integrated into your classroom! » NowComment A web tool that allows users to upload and discuss documents with others in an online environment at no cost. » WriteReader An app that provides children from the age of three with a platform to create their own books while also learning how to read and write. » CarQuiz Math An iOS app that allows players to build and practice math skills by racing around a track solving math equations. Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Whether you’re looking for some neat themed lesson plans and activities to incorporate into your classroom to celebrate Thanksgiving, or maybe you’re just in search of some tech-based Thanksgiving games to keep your students engaged before the upcoming vacation… Either way, Edutech for Teachers has got you covered! Hover over the interactive image to find tons of Thanksgiving-themed games and interactive learning activities for students and/or skip past the graphic to find additional/updated materials for teaching and learning about this popular holiday. Check out the full screen version of this image here. Additional Teaching & Learning Resources: » NEW!  Multimedia Thanksgiving Turkeys - Learn more from Free Technology for Teachers about how students can create an interactive thankful poster utilizing ThingLink. » NEW!  Scholastic News - A comprehensive site containing various resources for elementary students and teachers to learn about how the pilgrims reached America and celebrated the first Thanksgiving. Sections include The Mayflower, Daily Life, The Feast, Historical Letters, and Videos and Photos. » NEW!  Education World - Thanksgiving in the classroom doesn’t have to be limited to those lesson on turkeys. Instead celebrate this special season with some creative ideas via articles, lesson plans, site reviews, books, crafts, clipart and much more—all to help you meet all of your holiday needs.  » TIME Magazine - An interesting article regarding "The Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Thanksgiving". » Teachers Love SMART Boards - A list of Thanksgiving-related activities that can be utilized with an interactive whiteboard. » abcteach - Games, puzzles and coloring pages designed for elementary students. » The Best Websites To Learn About Thanksgiving - From audio and video to engaging reading activities, Larry Ferlazzo’s comprehensive list of Thanksgiving web sites includes something for everyone! » The History Channel - Tons of videos related to the origins, history and traditions related to Thanksgiving. A few noteworthy videos include The History of Thanksgiving and the Mayflower Deconstructed. » National Geographic for Kids - Contains a funny fill-in turkey story/Mad Lib that can be used as for a writing activity. » Thanksgiving Web Quest - Visit Web sites about the Pilgrims, the Wampanoag and the famous harvest feast and learn new facts along the way! » 10 Thanksgiving Myths Dispelled - A cool infographic created by Misconception Junction. » The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving - A web adventure in which students have to answer questions along the way. » Thanksgiving Trivia - The Huffington Post challenges you to take the ultimate quiz about Turkey Day. » Thanksgiving Quiz - Another fun holiday quiz created by Funnel Brain. » How Thanksgiving Works - A variety of Thanksgiving related articles and videos about the History of Thanksgiving as well as related customs, traditions and more from the creators of How Stuff Works. » What Really Happened? Comparing Stories of the First Thanksgiving - A great feature from the New York Times Learning Network that also contains links to other useful resources. Classroom Connection: Use the resources and materials listed above to teach students about the Thanksgiving holiday.

A few weeks ago I shared images of an a super cool Halloween Magnetic Poetry activity I completed with some fifth grade students using a Google Slides template I downloaded from Kasey Bell’s Shake Up Learning blog. It was such a tech-sation that I decided to give this same concept a try for Thanksgiving. Well, the only problem with that idea was that after contacting Kasey, I discovered that she didn’t have one available for this particular holiday. Enter Plan B: Just create one of your own—which is exactly what I did! So, here it is: My very own version of Thanksgiving Magnetic Poetry containing about 80 words that can be manipulated into a holiday themed poem, story, etc. Check it out below! Click here to make your very own copy of the template and save it to your Google Drive. FYI: Just like Shake Up Learning’s original creation, the word boxes are actually images and cannot be edited; however, they can be deleted. Plus, additional words can be generated by creating a new text box and filling it with a white background. Classroom Connection: The Thanksgiving Magnetic Poetry template can be used in a variety of ways as either an independent or collaborative writing activity. Utilize the "magnets" included and/or add your own text boxes to extend the activity—although I think part of the fun/challenge is to just use the words provided. A huge shout out to edtech guru Kasey Bell for the inspiration needed to develop this resource!

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for two really cool and useful online video tools that students can utilize to demonstrate knowledge and creativity in your classroom! » Animoto A cloud-based video creation service that produces professional quality videos from photos, video clips, and music.Compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices. An excellent classroom tool for visually conveying ideas and concepts! » WeVideo A simple yet powerful web-based video editing tool that allows users to upload content, save it in the cloud and/or link to other storage spaces such as Google Drive. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Great for generating student-centered projects! Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.

Got a upcoming presentation to prepare for? Want to avoid "Death by PowerPoint"? If you’ve ever asked yourself one of these burning questions, then this week’s edition of "Tech It Up Tuesday" is just for you… The folks at Best STL polled some PowerPoint experts for their tried and tested PowerPoint tips then generated the How to be a PowerPoint Power User infographic to help others take their next presentation to the next level. This nifty visual even includes tips about how to smash PowerPoint with some really cool productivity apps to ensure you are prepared for any occasion. Check it out below! Click here to view a full screen version of this visual. Classroom Connection: You and/and your students can utilize the seven tricks mentioned in the infographic to help your next presentation stand out from the competition.

Earlier this week I shared a new resource I recently created—a Thanksgiving-themed Magnetic Poetry template containing 80+ words—and discussed ways it could be utilized in the classroom. The students start out with a Google Drawing template that looks something like this: The students start out with a blank canvas that looks something like this: And transform it into something that looks like this: I incorporated this activity into my Grade 5 Computers class. Besides allowing the students to have some holiday fun with related words and images, it was a great opportunity for them to become more familiar with both accessing and submitting assignments via Google Classroom and utilizing Google Drawing. Here they are in action! Stay tuned for a Christmas-themed Magnetic Poetry template… In the meantime, have a very Happy Thanksgiving! And always remember: There’s always something to be grateful for! ♥

What’s new this week in my Diigo bookmarks? Check out the links shown below for seven really cool and useful apps that students can utilize to demonstrate knowledge and creativity in your classroom and/or to learn math, science, geography, music and more! » Virtuoso Piano Free 3 Teach basic keyboard skills using this iOS app. Additional instruments can be purchased within the app for $0.99 each. » Learn the World Test students’ knowledge of countries, capitals, and continents with this iOS app. By completing multiple-­choice quizzes, they can earn flags of countries from around the globe. And the best part? No passport required! » Virtual Frog Dissection Aimed at a middle school audience, this iOS app offers an educational alternative to physical dissection. Students learn about dissection tools as well as a frog’s anatomy and organs. » Geoboard An iOS or Android app for learning about geometry. Students can use the virtual manipulative to make discoveries about perimeter, area, angles, congruence, fractions and more! » Toontastic An iOS storytelling app that enables kids to draw, animate and share their own cartoons with friends and family around the world. » Super Duper StoryMaker Primary students can craft their own stories with this iOS app using text, images, photos, sounds and drawings. Stories can be saved, printed and/or shared with others via e-mail. » Tales2go An iOS audiobook app that provides access to more than 5,000 titles. Use as a literacy tool to develop vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills via school-owned and/or BYOD devices. Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links can be found here.