Here is a valuable site for Academic Learning Coaches.  Pause for Later is a God send when trying to organize an already busy lifestyle and aiding your child's education at the same time.  With this FREE website you can download videos and pause them when the need arises. 

Simply sign up, and download appropriate video content.  This way, you can view the material with your child, ask appropriate questions to ensure comprehension and pause it if dinner is calling.  Then come back to the exact spot you left off.

Remember, being an Academic Learning Coach can be stressful.  You may have added this to your already full plate not realizing the time it demands.  Anything you can do to take the stress off will be beneficial to you and your child.  Being there only a short time ago reminds me of all the tools I deemed necessary for my own survival.  This one is tops!

Wallwisher is an online notice board maker.  You can use this tool to make announcements, and keep personal notes.  You can further incorporate links, pictures, music, video, and pages.  You don't even have to register to do this!

This site could be a valuable resource for you, as an academic learning coach.  Allowing a personal communication board between you and your student, you can:

* Make Notice Board
* Bookmark favorite sites
* Discuss in a group with other online learner friends
* Plan event
* Brainstorm
* Keep notes
* Make lists
* Share videos
* Collect feedback

I found this fabulous ariticle in Tech and Learning discussing 30 Online multimedia resources.  I could write about these separately, since I've utilize most of them, but feel this blog would be more useful to bookmark by including all at the moment.  Click through and get your favorites for the next school year!

Welcome to the another in a series of PBL Mania Posts here at Tech & Learning. For the next few weeks I am celebrating Project Based Learning. In this post I will
introduce you to some multimedia mega-sites found on the web that can be used in the PBL classroom.  Before reading  please take a moment to visit and subscribe
to my 21centuryedtech Blog by email or RSS and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans.  You will not want to miss this series or future posts involving STEM, Flipping the Classroom, Technology Integration, Common Core, and 21st Century Skills,  So Sign Up Now! As always… thanks and have a great week.  - Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/ )
  
In this PBL Mania Post I explore Online Multimedia Resources. These fantastic
mega-sites can provide lessons and formative assessment activities for PBL. The
power of project based learning integrated with this type of  online technology
allows teachers to provide multimedia that can be used individually, in groups,
or even at home. The multimedia may be a movie, sound clip, picture, simulation,
reading, or game. In PBL, the multimedia may be an entry event, a tutorial, a
basis for further discussion and inquiry, or a tool that measures student
understanding. It could possibly even be an assignment or activity for students
to investigate at home. Best of all, students can even be in control of the
speed of delivery and even control their own remediation by repeating sessions.
Multimedia can be used to flip the classroom, allowing students to participate
and formulate their own inquiry through teacher facilitated posts in content
delivery systems such as Edmodo or My Big Campus. Let's take a look at some of
these large mega resource sites.

WGBH Teacher Domain - Teachers' Domain
is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and
its partners. You’ll find thousands of media resources, support materials, and
tools for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and teacher
professional learning communities.

PBS Teachers – Launched within the last year, PBS
Teachers is an awesome place for all kinds of educational multimedia. PBS
Teachers is PBS' national web destination for high-quality preK-12 educational
resources. Here you'll find classroom materials suitable for a wide range of
subjects and grade levels. They provide thousands of lesson plans, teaching
activities, on-demand video assets, and interactive games and simulations. These
resources are correlated to state and national educational standards and are
tied to PBS' award-winning on-air and online programming like NOVA, Nature,
Cyberchase, Between the Lions and more.

The Khan Academy – At Khan, students and teachers are encouraged to “Watch… Practice… Learn almost anything for free”. The academy has a library of over 2,700 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 276 practice exercises. They make it clear that they are on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace. So many people watch the Khan Videos but overlook their amazing Practice Sessions. If you have trouble because of school filters blocking Khan, look into My Big Campus… also in this article.

YouTube – Let’s not forget YouTube and its amazing searchable collection. These videos can be used for teaching a concept, providing an entry event, or providing the catalyst for a discussion that climbs the Bloom’s Taxonomy ladder. Having trouble with those school filters?… check out My Big Campus and You Tube Education.

Thinkfinity – This site is worth an entire write-up in itself and will provide a wealth of activities for PBL products. You will find quick and easy access to the highest quality teaching and learning materials. Verizon Thinkfinity offers comprehensive teaching and learning resources created by some amazing content partners which are the most respected organizations in each academic subject area and literacy. The easy-to-navigate K-12 resources are grade-specific and are aligned with state standards. This truly is an amazing online community where, along with great resources, you can network with friends and other teachers, and share ideas, plans and advice with others in the education community.

NeoK12 - Take a look and you will find a vast collection of resources and Web 2.o tools that might fit into any lesson. Along with pictures and videos that have been teacher selected, there are also some other amazing features. You can allow your students to create their own mashup presentations using Flickr and Wikipedia. There are quizzes, interactive diagrams, and games that can provide for formative assessment and problem solving.

Watch/Know/Learn - Imagine hundreds of thousands
of great short videos and other media, explaining every topic taught to school
kids. Imagine them rated and sorted into a giant Directory, making them simple
to find. WatchKnowLearn is a non-profit online community devoted to this goal.
Presently this community has over 30,000 videos and is growing every day through
contributions from teachers across the globe. The co-founder of Wikipedia has
launched a Web site designed to offer free access to thousands of
education-related videos for students ages 3-18. Larry Sanger, who helped create
Wikipedia states the site,  "will allow students and teachers to sort through a
library of online videos by content, and pick out what they need". Topics range
from math and science to history. The site is meant to house and organize videos
that are free and available online, yet which many educators may not have the
time to search for or may find difficult to locate

NBC Learn - While this is a pay service, I am providing a link to some of their free material that might just connect to your standards. NBC Learn is staffed by veteran NBC News producers, who have created scores of original stories and Town Hall events around the country, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, and others. The free area includes award-winning collections; Chemistry Now, Changing Planet, Science of NFL Football, Science of NHL Hockey, Science of the Winter Olympic Games, and Finishing the Dream. Videos and archival news stories are correlated to state standards and the Common Core.. Videos are generally short — less than six minutes in length — enabling instructors to engage and enlighten their students without wasting precious class time.

Discovery Education - This outstanding pay service also has a section that
is free, found via this link. Discovery Education offers a broad range of free
classroom resources that complement and extend learning beyond the bell. Foster
deeper engagement and provide opportunities for students to take charge of their
own learning with high quality, engaging, relevant tools designed for today’s
busy teachers. Take a moment to explore Discovery's programs and contests, interactive games, puzzles, lesson plans, videos and more.


Smithsonian Channel -  From one of the greatest museums comes a network, and this website filled with some amazing clips, games, and activities that might just provide the right spark for some PBL.

National Geographic - Find some amazing videos, pictures, segments, and stories that could be used to spark interest or engage inquiry. Whether it be a discussion starter, an informational lesson, or a question raiser, you will find some awesome content at this site.

History.com - This is an amazing site that is sure to provide a game, video clip, or article that will engage students. Whether it be a hook to begin a study or some outstanding information to sustain learning, it is definitely worth a look.

C-SPAN Video Library - A great collection of both short and longer video
clips that allow students to explore the workings of government. Did you know
that CSPAN also includes American History TV, Book TV, Campaign 2012, and Washington Journal? Best of all, check out a large number of resources on CSPAN
in the Classroom.

BBC Learning for Teachers - What an amazing amount of activities and resources, including over 9000 video clips. Enjoy a visit... you might just stay awhile!

PicsForLearning - Not everything has to be video. Perhaps you wish to use a still image to facilitate a discussion and promote inquiry.

iTunes Education Podcasts - Countless numbers of videos and series' that cover every educational topic  imaginable.


Pulse of the Planet - Each weekday, the Pulse of the Planet radio series provides its listeners with a two-minute sound portrait of Planet Earth, tracking the rhythms of nature, culture and science worldwide, blending interviews with extraordinary natural sound.

Center for Civics Education - Make sure you discover these amazing 
podcasts, slideshows, and videos. Not to be missed is the 60 second civic education podcast series.

Newton's Apple- Discover the fascinating science of the world around us
through over 300 video clips. Browse the categories, or enter a question or a
keyword in the search box. There are a number of videos with resource guides
included.

American Field Guide - Over 1400 short video
covering all areas of science.

Exploratorium TV - Browse hundreds of webcasts, video clips, podcasts, and
slideshows from the Exploratorium's collection of original programming, from
remote scientific expeditions to fun hands-on activities.

Chemistry Video Collection - Excellent selection
of videos that relate to chemistry. Contains experiments and many simulations
that might not be able to be demonstrated in a standard school lab.

Science Hack - Every video on this web site is screened by scientists to
ensure accuracy.

Math Interactive- MathActive lessons are Flash-animated math modules
designed for grades K-12. Each module features content that touches a geometry
performance objective from the Arizona Academic Standards for mathematics.

Sports Science - Awesome collection of short videos that will engage kids in science and math from the people at ESPN.

Science Videos - A selection of engaging videos and podcasts from the creators at the New York Times.

Copernicus Project - Selection of short biology resources and videos.

How Stuff Works Science - Excellent collection of videos that cover interesting and engaging topics across the science curriculum.

Ted Talk - What an amazing place to begin some deep and meaningful conversations and thought. In fact, there are some amazing videos if you are working on the skill of collaboration. Or, check out the hundreds of other categories.

Science For Kids - Cool place for videos and activities. But wait... while you are there check out Kids Math Games and Fun English Games. You will find a gold mine of resources that can be put into a unit to help your students master content in a project.

Bread is a universal food, made in many different ways and forms throughout the
world.  It truly is the staff of life, and on this site you will find out about the science behind bread.  With the help of the “Slice-O-Scope” you can take a microscopic tour of a slice of bread and see the gluten which forms the framework of bread.  Read about different kinds of leaveners and how they affect the formation of different kinds of breads.  The gluten animation explains how yeast and flour work together, aided by kneading, to trap the carbon dioxide which causes the bread to rise.  You’ll also find bread recipes and activities, including
instructions on how to make yeast-air balloons.  After exploring this site,
you’ll have a new respect for the backbone of your sandwich.

- taken from Tech and Learning Magazine, June 20, 2012

Google has just announced a new tool in search: The Knowledge Graph. It will be completed in the next few days for all users. The Knowledge Graph adds new queries to your search. Panels will be on the right side of the search results page with additional, factual, information about the title you searched. This will have more relevant, factual information about your search (like historical, biographical, news, etc.) and list related links. Google will also have you clarify exactly what you are looking for to help you better find what you need.  This should put an end to the drudgery of search hours of useless information on the Internet.

I know as a parent, our enthusiasm would dwindle once we began the research phase.  Countless hours of perusing the Internet to find ONE source of valuable information proved fruitless many a day.  I'm sure with the added links, searching will primarily be honed for the initial project idea

Law for Kids is an interactive site dedicated to teaching students about the law and how it personally affects them.  Read stories about kids’ problems, watch videos covering legal topics interesting to teens, find out about how delinquency proceedings are carried out, and access information about the U.S. Constitution and other documents important in our legal system.

"LawForKids.org is America's first stand alone web site dedicated to teaching
children about the law. The Site was created by the Arizona Foundation for Legal
Services and Education with the specific goal of educating Arizona's youth,
their parents, communities and schools to increase their knowledge about youth
laws and to encourage law-abiding behavior.

LFK is made possible through funding from the Arizona Supreme Court's Juvenile Crime Reduction Fund, composed of surcharges on fines paid by those convicted of breaking the law." - LFK Website



 

You are going to love this new article from David Kapular.  Flash Cards was an invaluable tool as my child prepared for tests and organization of projects in elementary school.  In fact, despite he is in high school, he still completes his test preparation by utlizing one of the flash card sites below.  Find your favorite, bookmark it, and use it often!

Flashcards are used by students and
educators every day and are one of the most popular ways to learn a subject or
topic. The internet makes this learning tool even easier through the use of
dedicated websites that allow for flashcard creation, collaboration, and
more.
 

1. Braineos - A fun site for students to create
   flashcards to play educational games on a wide variety of
   subjects.


2. CoboCards - A nice site and mobile app for creating and sharing flashcards.  Great way to collaborate with
   others.


3. Ediscio - A great site for creating flashcards and arranging them into boxes.


4. Fauxflash - A wonderful site for creating flashcards and searching through educational categories.  These flashcards can contain images as well.


5. Flashcard Flash - An innovative search engine
   designed for finding publicly-shared flashcards.


6. FlashCardFriends - A nice site for creating
   flashcards. FCF is also a social networking site which allows for collaboration
   as well as the ability to edit existing decks.


7. Quizlet - A neat little site for creating flashcards that's ideal for studying vocabulary, languages, or more.  Also a nice site for playing studying
   games.


8. Smash Cards - An innovative site that uses augmented reality for creating flashcards for English and
   reading.


9. Social Decks - A nice site for sharing flashcards
   via a unique URL that allows others to edit.


10. Study Blue - A great site for creating flashcards
    from photos, audio, or notes and then sharing with others.  SB also offers a
    wonderful mobile app for studying on the go.


11. Study Shuffle - One of the best sites for
    creating flashcards that teachers can use to track students'
    progress.


12. Study Stack - A nice all-in-one solution for
    creating and studying flashcards.  Includes lots of educational "stacks" to
    browse through.


13. Word Dynamo - An excellent site for creating flashcards.  Users can take quizzes, view study guides, play games, and
    more.


14. Yappr - A nice online community for creating a
    flashcard or quiz.


15. Zendo - A great site for turning notes into flashcards.
    
16. -David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of
    experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work,
    contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog
    at
    cyber-kap.blogspot.com.