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With the redesign of my blog, I decided to give my Facebook page a go too.  Head on over to my page and give me a like!

Follow me on Bloglovin

I know that many people use Bloglovin to follow the blogs they read, so I wanted to make things easy for those who do.  So, here's your link:  Follow my blog with Bloglovin

If you use another RSS reader, check out my post about that.

ReadWorks - reading meets science (and other subjects)

I was looking for some short readings to use with my 8th grade Earth Science class as I wanted them to have something short to do in the beginning of the period.  Our superintendent is really pushing literacy so I thought it would be a good idea.  In my search for short readings with questions along with them I came across ReadWorks.  It's a free research-based reading comprehension curriculum.  Don't get scared off by me saying curriculum.  I just take the pieces that I need and ignore the rest (I mean I am first and foremost a science teacher!)

 

Where do you find science readings for your class?

Creating an easy Works Cited Page

If your school is anything like mine the Common Core wave is just being dumped onto you.  Along with that comes a lot of writing.  If you are having students do research then you might be asking them to submit a Works Cited page.  Here are 3 sites that easily allow your students to create these pages.

1. EasyBib - this sites allows you to just type in the name of a book or enter a website address and gives you MLA citation (other versions are also available, but not on the free site).
2. Citation Machine - this site is a little less robust than the last.  It is really only good for citing books, but gives you the option of using MLA or APA citations.
3. BibMe - this one is my favorite because it is the most robust.  It gives you the option to cite just about anything that you need, plus you have the options to use MLA, APA or Chicago formats.

If you are also concerned about plagiarism take a look at this site to help with that.

What does the common core look like in your classroom?

ClassDojo - manage student behavior

I have a particularly bad class this year.  It's just the one period that I have after lunch, but they drive me crazy.  I have starting using ClassDojo because it's an easy way for me to record the behavior in the classroom.  Students and parents have access to these records so they can see how they are behaving.

ClassDojo gives me the option of updating behavior instantaneously using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone and can be displayed via computer, projector, or interactive whiteboard. The availability of data engages students and helps actively shape behavior, thus creating a more positive learning environment in the classroom.

ClassDojo also automatically generates behavior reports that I can send home to parents or share with students. These reports have given parents and students insight into the classroom that hadn’t been previously available. I believe that providing students with feedback has allowed learning to flourish in my classroom, increasing students’ positive behavior and intrinsic motivation.

What do you do to track classroom behavior?

Top 10 Post of December 2013

Here are the Top 10 Posts of December. Please be sure to leave a comment letting me know what things you are interested in learning about in 2014!

1. Doctopus - easily share documents with students via Google and give feedback
2. RSS Feeds
3. Multiple home pages for your browser
4. PhET Science Simulations
5. StudyBlue - flashcards and quizzes
6. Bill Nye Worksheets
7. The Top 10 Posts of November
8. 19 Pencils
9. Online Planbooks
10. Remind 101 - send text messages to students without sharing your phone number

What are your tech goals of 2014?

 

 

Multiple home pages for your browser

There are a few sites that I like to have open as soon as I turn on my computer. You can set your browser to automatically open up at number of sites you want. Thanks to Tim Moynihan and Wired Magazine, I have some clearly written directions to share with you.


How to do it in Chrome
1. Visit the Chrome Preferences menu.
2. Under “Settings,” find the “On startup” entry.
3. Check the button next to “Open a specific page or set of pages.”
4. Click the “Set pages” link next to that text.
5. Enter the URLs for all the pages you want to launch at browser startup.


How to do it in Firefox
1. First, open all the pages you want in separate tabs in a single browser window.
2. Visit the Firefox Preferences menu.
3. Under the “General” tab, click “Use Current Pages” under the Home Page section.


How to do it in Safari
1. Once again, open all the pages you want in separate tabs in a single browser window.
2. Select “Bookmarks” from the top menu bar and click “Add Bookmark Folder.”
3. Name the Bookmark Folder whatever you want.
4. Select “Bookmarks” from the top menu again and click “Add Bookmarks for These Tabs.”
5. Select the Bookmark Folder you named in step 3.
6. Select “Preferences” from the top menu bar.
7. Next to “New windows open with:” select “Choose tabs folder…”
8. Select the Bookmarks Folder you created in step 3.


How to do it in Internet Explorer
1. Open all the pages you want in separate tabs in a single browser window.
2. Visit the Tools menu (gear icon) and select “Internet Options.”
3. Under the “General” tab, click “Use current” under the Home Page section.