Museums of the World – online

Posted on March 5, 2010 by slav

An excellent resource is the Museums of the World online webpage. Featuring museums organised by country, then by alphabetical order within the country, there are hundreds of museums for you and your students to explore.

Some museums (there are art galleries too) are interactive or have virtual tours. Some allow users to download audio tours before their visit (such as the National Gallery of Victoria). Some provide links for teaching resources related to their exhibitions (such as Questacon). Others are simply webpages with information on exhibitions. However, if you are looking for a one stop shop for museums, Museums of the World online seems to fit the bill.

It’s Elementary!

Posted on February 26, 2010 by slav

Tamra Lanning has created a very useful blog, specifically for primary (elementary) school teachers. It’s Elementary is developing a nice collection of literacy, numeracy and other tools suitable for primary aged students.

Although It’s Elementary is a new blog, readers can immediately tell that Tamra is a committed teacher who loves her job. You can find Tamra on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tamralanning

Science Museum

Posted on February 23, 2010 by slav

The UK’s Science Museum has some excellent online resources for teaching and learning.

Covering ages from 3-16 (via Foundation and Key Stages 1-4) there is a variety of resources such as:

Foundation and Key Stage 1 (ages 3-7): sounds, bubbles and force
Key Stage 2 (7-11): electricity, forces and motion, light, materials and sound
Key Stage 3 (11-14): electricity and magnetism, energy transfer, light and materials
Key Stage 4 (14-16): how science works, electricity and magnetism and materials.

Each area of study includes:

Educational objectives
Key student learning
Materials needed
Practicalities
Open ended investigations
Extension work
Links to everyday life

Educators can also subscribe to the ‘Educators’ e-news‘ for updates. This site is highly recommended.

100 Incredible & Educational Virtual Tours You Don’t Want to Miss

Posted on February 10, 2010 by slav

Online Universities has provided a list of 100 educational virtual tours. With topics such as:

Cities (including Pompeii and Ancient Rome)
Famous landmarks and buildings (including Stonehenge, Taj Mahal and the Vatican)
Museums (including the Louvre and the Smithsonian)
Outer space
How things are made (Toyota cars and Hershey chocolate)
Humans and animals
Google Earth virtual tours (Cathedrals, castles, palaces, libraries and universities) – note that you need to have Google Earth installed on your computer

There are lots of tours to choose from. Well worth a look.

Reading Games

Posted on January 30, 2010 by slav

Reading Games is a really fun site that students are sure to love.

Comprehension, sequencing, vocabulary, phonics and phonemic awareness are all covered in these games which are designed for Primary (Elementary) aged students. There are nine free games and access to more if you are willing to pay.

iLearn Technology

Posted on January 27, 2010 by slav

The award winning iLearn Technology blog by Kelly Tenkely is one blog to add to your Google Reader account. This extensive blog exposes many useful tools, but the best part is the explanations of how the tool can be used in the classroom and integrated into existing units of work.

Kelly Tenkely explains her background on her about page:

1 year as a 2nd grade classroom teacher, 6 years as a k-5 technology specialist/teacher. Currently I am teaching 3-5 grade technology and acting as technology integration specialist and instructional coach for elementary teachers

Kelly has also developed the fantastic idea of forming a blogging alliance. Here members commit to reading and commenting on a number of each others blogs on a regular basis. The alliance has introduced me to a number of excellent blogs that I may never have found otherwise as well as providing ongoing mentoring for me and the Bright Ideas blog.

You can find Kelly on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ktenkely.

Year 7 Maths Wiki

Posted on January 25, 2010 by slav

An extremely useful site for maths teachers and students, the Year 7 Maths Wiki has a wealth of information on problem solving, homework help and interactive activities. The wiki was developed by the fabulous Maryna Badenhor (@marynabadenhors).

Pages include:

This is a very well put together resource that would be of great assistance to teachers, students and even parents.

Visual calendar

Posted on January 15, 2010 by slav

The very creative Mandy Barrow (@mbarrow), who is an ICT Consultant, Teacher, Cub Leader and creator and web manager of the excellent Woodlands Junior School (UK) website has devised a visual calendar for 2010. Mandy has agreed to share her calendar with readers of Bright Ideas.

Mainly useful for Primary aged students, there are many days and links that are applicable to Australia. The calendar would be ideal for a brief early morning IWB session a few times a week as it is sure to launch discussions and activities on many different topics.

Mandy has also developed many other first-rate pages such as:

History of London

Florence Nightingale

Kings & Queens

Battle of Trafagar

Guy Fawkes

Bayeaux Tapestry

History Timeline