Great Free Tutorials

Richard Byrne, who write the blog "Free Technology for Teachers" has created a number of books to make your life using technology easier. 

Want to create a free website? Use Google Sites and review Richard's book online, titled Google Sites for Teachers. It will definitely help you get started and then use it in your classroom.

Other books by Richard that might interest you are Google Earth Across the Curriculum and Google Docs for Teachers 2012.  And, if you are bored or want something educational to do this summer, try Byrne's 77 Things for Teachers to Try This Summer. You won't be bored for long and can get a headstart into the school year. 

Free Technology for Teachers website is chock full of guides, ideas and more.

New Source for Information on Cyberbullying

Did you know that ebrary.com has a free collection of open sources on cyberbullying?  This site offers ebooks you can peruse on types of bullying, statistics, what you should do when bullying starts, and much more.  Just go to the ebrary site at http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cyberbullying/search.action?p00=cyberbullying&fromSearch=fromSearch&search=Search and put in a search term at the top of the page.  Titles such as Stop Cyberbullying Before it Starts, Data Memo: Cyberbullying and Online Teens, Serial No. 111-76: Cyberbullying and Other Online Safety Issues for Children and more are available. 
So, next time you want to discuss the topic of bullying or cyberbullying, create a lesson plan on it or have your students conduct research on the topic, ebrary is a safe site to access, read a Table of Contents and click to exactly the aspect of the subject you want.  Try it out! 

These resources also complement the unit plan on bullying that appears in Chapter 3 of my book Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom.

Google Drive--Storage in the Cloud

Google Drive allows you to store any kind of file including documents, images, archives, and video files. Moreover, you can share your files in Google Drive with other individuals, teams of users (such as Google Groups), your entire organization, or even make them public!

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage-based service provided in conjunction with a Google Apps account. Google Drive provides:
--interfaces through your computer, mobile device or the Web
--file sharing functionality
--safe. secure, and redundant file storage
--capacity to meet your storage needs as they grow
For information on how to use Google Drive, download Richard Byrne's free e-book showing how to use Google Drive.

A Cyberbullying Lesson

In my new book Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom, there is a lesson on bullying, a topic of concern to educators and parents today. Check this YouTube video for a lesson on cyberbullying and how to explain it to your students. This interactive lesson provides questions to answer after each part to reinforce the concepts presented. It also contains additional links to other videos on bullying.

Review this 9-minute video, and read Chapter 3 on Wikis in my book and try out the unit plan related to bullying, designed to be used in a multidisciplinary unit for English and social studies using wikis.

Upcoming free Social Learning Summit

Put April 21 on your calendar to attend the Social Learning Summit, a virtual, free, worldwide conference being sponsored by the Discovery Educator Network on the use of social media and Web 20 in teaching and learning. Presentation proposals are still being accept through Saturday, April 7. View the list of proposals already accepted HERE. Session blocks are 30 minutes in length, and more information on how to submit can be found HERE.

This one-day session will be an exciting and informative, offering practical ideas on how to use Web 2.0 and social media with your students. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity.

Learning Science through Games

The Rice University Center for Technology and Learning has a website designed for middle and high school students to explore science topics through games that you won't want to miss. Web Adventures has two sections: 1) for teachers--online activities, guide, free games and more; 2) for students--independent cases where students learn about the topic (e.g., forensic science) and then use what they learn to solve mysteries.

From investigating substances that have both harmful and helpful effects to what it takes to be a forensic scientist in CSI-like adventures, games let students learn about science as they solve the cases. Science careers lets students explore first-hand what it takes to have a career in science.

Teachers: try out this website to introduce a new scientific topic, help them discover what it means to be a scientist or as individual follow-up enrichment activities.

Try using some of these games with your students and let me know what you think!

Google 2012 Science Fair

The Google Science Fair is an online science competition seeking curious minds from around the globe. Anybody and everybody between 13 and 18 can enter. All you need is an idea.

The theme this year is "Everyone has a question. What is yours?" Watch the video to see some possible ideas.

Check out the details and submit your entry by April 1.