Gaming/Programming in Technology Integration? Yes!

Imagine having your students create games and virtual interactive activities to demonstrate their knowledge and to help others solidify their learning. This is great way to introduce students to programming. I am certain you will open a whole new world of 21st Century learning and discovery if you use these tools. You can with the following applications:

Scratch

"With Scratch, people can easily construct a wide variety of interactive projects. From community narratives to role-playing games to mathematical simulations to consciousness-raising presentations, the potential for creative production with Scratch is boundless." - Karen Brennan-

http://scratch.mit.edu/

Use this site to download Scratch and view a gallery of Scratch projects.

http://scratched.media.mit.edu/

This is the educator learning community for Scratch.

Kodu

"Gaming is a great way to inspire kids to get exposed to and to understand core skills. Kodu can help kids understand the fundamentals and principals of software development. We can make learning experiences more relevant. If we can get kids interested in gaming concepts early, then hopefully they will think about their potential career aspirations and develop skills early."-Anthony Salcito-

With Kodu, you can program games that work on XBox 360.

Kodu demonstration for schools

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/kodu/
Go here to learn more about Kodu.

Harcourt Reading/Technology Center Resources

http://www.kyrene.org/reading/

The Kyrene School District has coordinated activities and web resources that align perfectly to each theme for grades k-6. This is a no brainer tool for your classroom computer centers. Literacy Coaches and Classroom Teachers truly need to add this to their favorites.

Edmodo- Microblogging for Educators

If you looking to microblog with your students, edmodo may be the tool for you. Similiar to Twitter, it allows you to microblog educationally. It is a secure, private social learning environment built with education in mind. In addition to microblogging, one can store and share files, post assignments, record grades, and generate class calendars.

To learn more about edmodo, go to:
http://www.edmodo.com/

http://education.zdnet.com/?p=2417

Do You i Cue?

iCue, sponsored by NBC, is an interactive learning environment that contains primary resources from NBC News Archive.

Social Studies and Language Arts curriculum comes alive when you utilize this engaging resource. One can view videos, participate in collaborative initiatives, take courses and play games on this site.

This site is best for students in grades 6-12. I especially love the acronym for iCUE:

• i connect
• i understand
• i excel

Check it out for yourself!

http://www.icue.com/portal/site/iCue/welcomepage

Just a few updates...

Hello everyone,

I know a couple of you have expressed interest in posting instructional tech resources. If you are interested in leaving comments, I have made it open to anyone. Feel free to do so, it will not appear right away because I will approve the content prior to posting it. You can use html to embed objects or format your text.

If you think you will become a frequent contributor, please contact me with your google account email address and I will add you as an author. With author privileges, you can use Rich Text Formatting to embed video, audio, pictures, etc.

I hope this clears up some confusion.

Warmest regards,

Kirstin

Have you considered Glogster?

This great Web 2.0 tool allows students to create interactive virtual posters. Can you imagine having a multimedia project where everything was posted on one place in an asthetically pleasing manner? Learn more about Glogster by going to this website.

http://www.glogster.com/edu/

Get Published!

Looking for some neat ways to publish student work?

For Softcover or Hardcover Books:
http://www.tikatok.com/
or

http://www.blurb.com/

For Magazines try:
http://www.magcloud.com/


For a minimum cost, you can transform your student work into a keepsake that will last a lifetime.