Web-based Bookmarking Tools

Portaportal is my favorite tool for bookmarking! It is quick, easy, and can be accessed from any computer.

• Go to www.portaportal.com and create a free account
• Click on the Signup button

• Fill out the information in the blanks

• Click “Join portaportal”
• You will get an email from portaportal
• Click on the link in the email to activate your account
• Log in to your new account using the username and password you provided
• Click the Preferences Button
• Under guest page behavior, choose “allow guest access” from the dropdown menu
• Click the “add categories” button
• Type in the name for each
• of your categories here
• Click the “Add Categories” Button
• Click the “Add Links” button in the corner of the category you want to add links to.
• Add in the information here
• Click “Add Links”
• Guests can get you your site by going to: http://guest.portaportal.com/yourusername
• Just replace yourusername with the username you provided to portaportal.
• You can add your Portaportal page to the school’s website for your students to use.

Other bookmarking sites that I’ve use:

Delicious is a great social bookmarking tool that allows you to tag and share your favorite Web sites with fellow Delicious users.

Symbaloo is a visual bookmarking system that is great for young children. The downside to this site is that it takes more time then the previously mentioned sites to add bookmarks.

Growing SMARTer!

Saving Smart Notebook Templates~

Don't miss out!  Visit and create a free account at the SMART Exchange today.  Search through thousands of pre-made Notebook lessons by standard and grade level.  After you have found a template that your are interested in, click "download," "open," and "OK."  Templates can be saved to flash drives for future use or for sharing with fellow teachers.
 1.  Under file go to "Save as"
 2. Type in file name
 3.  "Save in" click on the drop down arrow and choose the location "removable *"

SMART Notebook templates can also be edited~
To change the text select text by clicking on top of it and then right clicking in the test box.  Go to locking and then choose "unlock."  Double click in the text box the change the text.  To save the wanted text right click on top of text and choose "lock the text in place" or "allow move."  You want to choose "allow move" if your text is intended to be placed in another location for student interaction. 
To add new text you must look under the "Draw" tab and select text.  Drag the cursor to create a text box.  After you have typed desired text, click off of the text box, and ten right click on top of it to lock the text.  Once again choosing "lock the text in place" or "allow move."

Here is great resource site created by a third grade teacher.  http://leonard.middletownusd.org/smart-board-resources
Or if you are looking for "how to's" visit this informative site!  http://etoolbox.wikispaces.com/Smart

Perfect Primary Sites for SMART Board!

The following sites are well organized and easy to search.  They engage students in learning with entertainment and education in mind. 

Reading
Primary Grades Classroom Site has Outstanding Support for the Harcourt Trophies Reading Series~ This site is organized by grades, themes, and stories. Don't miss out on this resource created by Mrs. Miller.  Here you can also find many links to site and activities for other subjects. 
Graphic Organizers from Education Place, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Math
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
Johnnie's Math Page
Math Chimp

All Subjects
Kidport
Sheppard Software
ABCya!
Topmarks
CyberKids
Pete's Power Point Station

Let me know what you think of my top 10 picks.

Care of SMART Boards

It is important to keep the marker tray free from dust so that the sensors work properly.  Dust can be blown out of the tray or vacuumed out.  The tray should also stay free from moisture.  As for the board itself, it can be cleaned with any glass cleaner and a lint free cloth.  Our school's environmentally "green" cleaner will be fine to use.  Before you clean you board, shut down the projector to disconnect the interactive surface so that you don't scramble desktop icons or inadvertently start programs while you are wiping the board.  Lightly spray the cleaner onto a cloth and then gently wipe the screen.  Never spray the cleaner directly onto the SMART Board.  This will prevent the cleaner from flowing into the marker tray.  Also, to prevent damage never use adhesive tape on your interactive whiteboard, because removing the tape can damage the top layer of the writing surface.

Make the Switch to Office 2010

Visit for online Office Training Videos and make the change with ease!

Practical Printing

ISTE 2011-Equipment

The guessing is over. ELMO is an acronym for the company that manufactures document camera. ELMO stands for "Electric Lighting Machine Organization." Let's see if that question comes up during trivia night.

SMART Board has a free training App for i-pad, i-touch, and the i-phone. There is nothing like training at your finger tips.

I attended a demonstration with the new Mobi View and will be receiving a table in the next week. I'm so excited! The Mobi View has a touch screen, which I love because I had a hard time seeing the tool bar on the projected area from the back of the room. Mobi View is compatible with the original Mobi as well as SMART Boards. All of the Mobis work with the CPS and will show students' responses in the window during "student passed tests." I hope someone tries this feature out next year. The mobility around the classroom would be better then having to rely on the desktop to check for students responses.

Finally, ELMO in text~Enough, let's move on!

ISTE 2011-Timeline

The best ticketed session I attended while in Philly was called, "Create Your Own Timeline." The Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century was created by the Learning Technology Center at The University of Texas at Austin. This interactive timeline has documents, pictures, audio and other rich resources. This summer the creators turned their timeline into a tool. After you create a free account you can develop your own timeline containing the same features as the Presidential Timeline. I think this new and wonderful site will continue to grow and get even better. Check out both sites and let me know what you think.

ISTE 2011-Google

Wow, I didn't know Google could do that! I was fascinated to learn about the many features Google has to offer to enhance education. Searching Google images enables you to find the right picture quickly. Although you may find it difficult in choosing which picture to use out of the lot. In Google books you can search a topic to find a list of books you can preview or, in some cases, read for free. For example, I did a general search for "food poisoning," which brought up a list of books on the subject. I then selected one of the books. On the page for this book, I entered a search request for "salmonella," and was supplied with page references for that subject. Google Maps and Earth continue to add webcams. It is possible to turn back time in Google Earth by clicking on the "clock face" button and then siding the timeline bar back. Also, by viewing live weather you can watch an active volcano. In Google Earth you can create presentations for any grade level. A second grade teacher had her students make paper dolls dressed in the clothing appropriate for their ancestral background. She took a picture and inserted it on a world map along with a short sentence written by the child. For instruction, a virtual trip of either historic or current times could by mapped. A map of a civil war battle is an example, but the possibilities are endless. One of my goals is to learn more about Google Earth.
Visit the following links for more information and online training on Google Apps:
ISTE 2011 Google Trainings
Guide to Going Google
Digital Robert's Google Maps and Earth Resources

Great Videos for Review

• Customary Units of Capacity


• Author's Purpose


• Visit http://www.watchknow.org for many more videos that are easy to search through.

Spring Forward with Technology

Wow! Check out ToolsforEducators.com. Here you will find worksheet generators, puzzle makers, game creators, and other classroom printables. I like the Certificate Templates, and think you will find them easy to use for end of the year awards. All the makers are free online programs.

You’ve always wanted a Whiteboard? Try Zoom It! This download activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434

Have fun teaching and learning math by using the wide variety of games found at Math-Play.com. This site is well organized by grade level, content, and game type.

Steps to View/Print Group Reports from WV Writes

Currently, students are not able to print their score reports in the WV Writes site. They are working on fixing this glitch.
A teacher may view and print his/her entire class score results for an essay by following these steps.
1. Click the Report Results check box and then click Go.
2. Click Group Reports, select Writing List and click Next.
3. Click on the Edit icon beside "Group or Tag Group," select class, and save. (The "Proficiency Scale" is already set. Test cut-off scores and Report label are optional).
4. To save report in PDF form to view/print later (optional), click Generate Report in PDF check box.
5. Type a label or name for your report (optional).
6. In the "Select Test" section click the down arrow and check the test name. Scroll down and click Create.
7. If you chose to generate a PDF, you will see a message that your report has been queued. When complete, the PDF will be stored for 7 days in your My Reports folder for you to view and/or print. Click "My Reports," the PDF icon, and "open" for your report.
8. If you did not choose to generate a PDF, wait for the report to process and display in a new window for you to view right away.
9. To print, click the View All Printable link and click the "green" Print button.
I prefer the PDF print out.

Sites Worth the Time

Math Goodies is an amazing site filled with over 500 activities for students, educators, and parents. The newest addition to the site is a Unit on Decimal Basics. There are plenty of connections to place value, fractions and money. I think 4th and 5th grade teachers will also find many useful resources on the Math Goodies Blog, which is well organized.

Another must see is Ambleweb.com where you will find many interactive activities.

My top 5 picks for Numeracy practice are:

• Hundreds Chart with Transparent Counters


• Interactive Clock


• Function Machine


• Number Lines


• Angles

SMART Board Exchange is a well organized site loaded with awesome interactive lessons and activities for SMART Boards!

SMART Board Tutorials from Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools

Awesome Whiteboard List of Resources from Far-Out Links to Learning