SMARTBoard Web Resources - 2008

Jim Reed's Mathematics Flash Resources	Math	Stop what you're doing and go check out this amazing collection. This is perhaps the most comprehensive library of flash-based Math applications I've ever seen. It covers all areas of Mathematics. These applications are perfect for the SMART Board especially if you're planning display material on the SMART Board, have the students interact with it using the ink layer, then have the application demonstrate how to solve the problem.
Shine + Write	Mathematics	This resource was just posted in the Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom group on Diigo. (If you want to receive great resources for the SMART Board sent to your RSS reader, subscribe to this feed right away!) The collection of flash-based starter activities are execptional. Bookmark this amazing website and you'll have plenty of resources handy for when you need them.
New Zealand Math Numeracy Project Animations	Mathematics	You could use this one site every day with your SMART Board to teach Math concepts using visualization. Once again, this site is perfect for your SMART Board's ink layer ability.
The Fantastic Contraption	Science	Here's an amazing educational game called the The Fantastic Contraption. It promotes itself as a "fun online Physics puzzle game" which it most certainly is; however, you don't need to teach science to enjoy it. Students (and teachers) will get hooked very quickly trying to go through the levels. The objective is to use wheels and rods to create a contraption that will move an object to a target area. You can also take a look at other people's contraptions to see how they succeeded. This application works great on the SMARTBoard and will keep your students (or you) occupied for a very long time.
ZAC Browser (Zone for Autistic Children)	General	I hope my Teachers Love SMART Board readers know that if I recommend something it's because I think it something that needs to be shared. Here's one of the coolest Internet tools I've seen in a very long time. It's called ZAC Browser (Zone for Autistic Children) and it's a "must have" for teachers and parents with special needs children or younger children just starting to use and explore the Internet. ZAC Browser provides children with an extensive collection of online applications including Games, Video Clips (TV), Music, and Stories. The great thing about ZAC Browser is that it is an extremely safe and controlled environment for children.
Bembo's Zoo Picture Book	Literacy	Something tells me that the Bembo's Zoo Picture Book primer will be shown on a lot of SMARTBoards.  This should be a big hit in the primary classroom. Enjoy!
BeFunky	Art	If you're looking for some "funky ways to express yourself" (or someone else) you definitely need to check out "BeFunky." This is a free site that let's you make cartoon images of yourself using your own pictures. You can then add cool effects to your image to keep you laughing for hours. They even have a section that lets you create a cartoon avatar of yourself.
Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier	Sciience	Yesterday, my daughter Jasmine (age 7) and I went searching for information about the moon and why it looks different each night. It took me just a few minutes to find the incredible simulations located on the supporting website for Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier by John D. Fix. The website has a lot of cool simulations that work great on your SMARTBoard interactive whiteboard. To help my daughter understand the different phases of the moon, we played around with the Lunar Phases simulation. Another thing that makes this site really outstanding is that each simulation has teacher guides and supporting material to help teachers create an effective experience. (If you use Firefox, you can zoom the page (View/Zoom/Zoom In) to make the simulations fill the screen.)
MathTV	Mathematics	Screencasts are a great digital learning tool for use in the classroom, especially on a SMART Board. I would like to share with you an outstanding resource for Math screencasts. The website is called MathTV and it currently has 19 screencasts that solve basic Math word problems.
Interactive art sites	Art	This collection of interactive art sites for elementary and secondary classrooms is simply outstanding. (How can you not enjoy creating your own Picasso drawing using Mr. Picassohead!?) Almost all of these applications are SMART Board friendly and should provide hours of fun. I'm so glad it has a link to National Gallery of Art's site called the Art Zone (click here to read my blog post titled SMART Board on the Art Zone). This one still gets my vote of for the all-time best interactive art site.
Coordinate Plane worksheet generator	Mathematics	I have two wonderful tools for teachers to use with their Smartboard interactive whiteboard related to plotting points. The first one is an interactive flash application that plots points on a coordinate plane. It's very simple but has lots of neat features. It's definitely a "must have" resource for your Smartboard and it can be imported directly into Notebook. The second tool is a Coordinate Plane worksheet generator that creates pdf files of coordinate planes to print for your students or display on your SMART Board. When you generate the pdf files, you can save them to your computer and link to them inside Notebook.
SpellingCity	Literacy	The SpellingCity site lets teachers easily create their own spelling lists and then students can practice improving their spelling skills online. Here's the description of SpellingCity found on their website: SpellingCity is a new and innovative interactive educational site that can help children of all ages improve their spelling skills and expand their vocabulary. It can also be used by teachers and parents to teach their students how to spell properly with their own spelling lists. It's really a remarkable website and the spelling games work extremely well with the SMART Board. While the "Teach" and "Test" areas require the use of a keyboard, the games (with the exception of one) do not and they are very Smartboard friendly! Even if you're a teacher who doesn't teach Spelling, this is a great site to use to introduce concept words. Please pass this resource along to your fellow teachers, it's a winner!
GeoSpy	Social Studies	Imagine how cool it would be to have your students interacting with your SMART Board, learning about the countries of the world and having fun. Well, GeoSpy is your answer. Another neat feature is the ability to print out a certificate with the student's name on it. Why not have a group of students (let's say groups of three) practice the states right before class begins. Others students are sure to take interest every day and it would settle the class before your lesson begins. I would also suggest that students use something more precise than their finger when they use GeoSpy with the SMART Board; some of the countries and states are pretty small so make sure your SMART Board is aligned before you play. This game has been SMART Board tested and Hollis approved!
Dabbleboard	General	I love finding powerful new Web 2.0 applications that can be used in the classroom.  Dabbleboard is one such application and it works great on your SMART Board interactive whiteboard. (For those of you who played around with my Jog the Web track yesterday, you already know about Dabbleboard!) Basically, Dabbleboard is an electronic whiteboard for your computer. It allows you to easily add shapes, text, images and other objects to a blank work area similar to Notebook. Actually, many features of Dabbleboard are found in Notebook and I would never suggest replacing Notebook with Dabbleboard. However, Dabbleboard does something very cool. It allows you to collaborate and share drawings with other people in real time. This is a very powerful feature and hopefully one we'll find in Notebook sometime in the near future. In addition, since Dabbleboard is a web application, they can make it very easy to share and use other people's drawings.
Wordle	Literacy	I have a draft about a website called Wordle that I was planning on posting next week. However, I found a much better post about Wordle that also has a fun lesson plan. The post called Wordle: Using Word Clouds in a Lesson comes from one of my favorite blogs called Box of Tricks. I highly recommend that you subscribe to the blog. In his post, José describes how he uses an interactive whiteboard to help with the lesson. If you come up with any cool ways to use Wordle, let us know! Here's the "word cloud" for my last post on Smartboards and Algebra. See if you can guess what my post is about before you read it.
The Magic Pen	Science	I get requests all the time for more interactive activities that are not only fun but actually make the kids think. In my search for new and exciting web applications for the classroom, I always start at Danny Nicholson's The Whiteboard Blog. In my book, this is the best blog for teachers who use an interactive whiteboard in the classroom. Danny has found an outstanding website for Science class called The Magic Pen Game. This game is amazing. I simply cannot stop playing it. The objective is to draw objects on the screen to try to move a red ball around so it hits various red flags that are located on the screen. You draw objects like ramps and balls and hinges where you determine where to place the fulcrum. All objects behave as if they exist in our physical world. If you're a Science teacher and your students have access to a computer or an interactive whiteboard, quit reading my blog and head over to The Magic Pen.
Set Daily Puzzle	Mathematics	Why not have the Set Game displayed on the SMART Board for kids to solve before they start class. This would motivate kids to get into class on time. You could even have a Set Game contest or challenge students to beat your best time. The Set Daily Puzzle is very easy to use on the SMART Board and it has a different puzzle each day. Here's a screen shot:
Jigzone	General	One of the people who called into the show mentioned a fun website that works great with the SMART Board. It's called Jigzone and it allows you to create a jigsaw puzzle from pictures that you upload. There are a lot of ways to use this for educational purposes. For example, here is a graphic I created using a graphic editor (PhotoFiltre is good free graphic editor).
Grammar Ninja website	Literacy	I am so excited to about this post. I have found a great application called Grammar Ninja that really works great with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. One reason this would be a great game to introduce to your students is because it was developed by Greg Lieberman who developed the game as part of High School Independent Study Program in Videogame Design. You can check out the game by going to Greg's Grammar Ninja website. However, playing the game is not where the real educational value comes in. Greg has also developed a way to add your own sentences to the game by typing in a sentence and then applying the correct parts of speech to each word. I think this is where the real learning takes place. Check out a screen shot of applying the correct parts of speech:
Villainy, Inc	Mathematics	I love fun and creative ways to introduce math concepts to kids. I just spent the last 30 minutes playing around with a Middle School (grades 5 thru 8) math site called Villainy, Inc. that lets kids play a game to learn about various mathematical concepts. The site is very well organized, it has a standards guide, and it has a very good teacher guide. I think this would be a fun way for the kids to spend a Friday afternoon. The site would be great for kids working in pairs in the computer lab or teacher could guide the class and play these games on the SMART Board. The kids will love working together to help thwart world supremacy. Here's a screen shot of the main page. Go ahead and click on the links in the black menu bar below.
Lite Brite" online simulator	General	I know a lot of teachers are looking for some fun activities for the SMART Board this week. I am very disappointed with many of the Internet games I've found for the Spring/Easter holiday due to the number of advertisements contained on these websites. Therefore, I'm going to share with you another fun site that will allow your students to create, share, and save pictures using a "Lite Brite" online simulator.
Travel IQ Challenge	Social Studies	Check out what Danny Nicholson from The Whiteboard Blog found as a replacement for Geosense... It's the Travel IQ Challenge from Travelpod.com. Since they allow you to embed the game into any website, I'm providing the game on one of my pages so it's free from advertisements. I'm certainly glad Danny got back from his vacation so he could share this. Don't forget to check out his blog as well as his company's website, Think Bank Ltd, that contains all sorts of great resources for your interactive whiteboard. Here's a screenshot of the game:
National Geographic's Wildlife Filmmaker	Social Studies	I'm having so much fun this morning playing with National Geographic's Wildlife Filmmaker. It's really cool. Basically, it's an online movie making application where students can drag video, sound clips, music, and captions onto a timeline. What a great way to introduce the concept of movie making and editing!!!! I created a 60 second movie in less than five minutes that shows various bird videos. I put in some fun music and I give time for the students to guess the name of the bird before the name is displayed. Here's a screenshot of the process:
Roy the Zebra	Literacy	Okay, back to Roy the Zebra... Here's what the site has to say on their About page: The site is home to a package of interactive games, stories and resources that have been developed to help emerging readers learn to read. The site can be used at school or at home. It's one of the most comprehensive interactive literacy resources on the net that is freely accessible... no area of the site is password protected. RTZ also aims to make life easier for educators who teach reading skills. We hope you enjoy the site's simplicity, fun characters and logical structure. You'll never be more than 3 clicks (...if that!) away from what you need. Recently over 360 educators assessed the effectiveness of the resources on www.roythezebra.com - 100% of the respondents agreed that RTZ had helped their pupils become better readers, 100% agreed that the site made reading fun and 100% said that they would use RTZ in the future. Once again, I have tested this site and I found it a great resource to use with your SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Here's a screenshot of an interactive rhyming game:
ToonUniversity	Mathematics	I was browsing the Smart Exchange forums and found a great activity posted by Carol who works for Smart Technologies. The activity from ToonUniversity helps primary aged children learn about place value.  You can view the activity by clicking on the screenshot below: The site has a lot of free activities that you can use. My favorite is the one that helps primary aged kids learn about coin values. Using the SMART Board, the students simply touch and drag the coins to the ramp to try to get to the amount shown at the top. My 7 year old daughter loves it!!!
Science NetLinks	Science	Here's a website called Science NetLinks that all Science teachers should have saved to their favorites. Here is a description from the site: Providing a wealth of resources for K-12 science educators, Science NetLinks is your guide to meaningful standards-based Internet experiences for students. Not much more to be said. You have to check it out. It's jammed full out lesson plans, online resources, interactive activities and much, much more. Check out this learning activity called All Systems Go. It's simple and highly effective. Best of all, it works great with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Here's a screen shot of the activity where the student would touch and drag the various body parts to complete different systems of the human body. The voice in this activity sounds just like Arnold (I'll be back) Schwarzenegger.
The Brainbox Challenge	Mathematics	While reading through my twitter messages this morning I ran across a fun website that was shared by my good friend Danny from across the pond. It appears the BBC will be broadcasting a new show called The Brainbox Challenge. To help promote the show, the BBC has a website that has some great interactive brain challenges. The games Shaping Up and Total Recall are perfect games for the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. The other games are okay but they require you to use a keyboard.
Zentation	General	I'm reviewing an interesting site called Zentation which allows you to combine a video with a PowerPoint presentation. I believe this to be such a powerful way of communicating that I will be working on creating a few instructional videos for use inside the classroom. This is obviously a great tool for the SMART Board since teachers and students can use the SMART Board to write notes, capture screens, and share what is being presented. Since I haven't created any videos on this site yet, I thought I would show you a fun example of this technology. Here is a short "Zentation" that's sure to make you smile. As you watch the video on the left, pay attention to the PowerPoint on the right. What old people do for fun 0:40 A comical how-to-guide for drivers
Kerpoof	General	Some websites get me so excited about the potential for incorporating digital learning. One of these sites is a new website called Kerpoof. It's very had to describe what Kerpoof is; even the people at Kerpoof find it difficult. Here is what they say... What is Kerpoof? The answer to that is not so simple. Kerpoof is always changing, and Kerpoof means different things to different people. In fact, Kerpoof presents different things to different people according to what they do. So, if you want know what Kerpoof is, you will have to spend time discovering things about Kerpoof and getting to know Kerpoof, just like you would a person. Kerpoof doesn't come with a manual or a directory or a map. If we've done our job right, then finding your way to the various nooks and crannies of Kerpoof will be half the fun. Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things, and being creative.
NGA Kids The Art Zone	Art	Are you an art teacher looking for a fun resource for your SMART Board interactive whiteboard? Even if you're not, this amazing website is sure to impress you. The site is from the National Gallery of Art and is called NGA Kids The Art Zone. My 7 year old is home from school today and she is memorized by this site. Currently she's playing around with the interactive Jungle activity making her own jungle scene. I can tell I'll have to replace my color print cartridge before the day is done. This site has more resources than can be mentioned here and you'll love exploring the site to find your favorite resource. My favorite activity on this site is "Flow." It's way cool.
Arcademic Skill Builders	Mathematics	Two days ago, Bill Lingle made a comment on my post about a great website called Wicked that contains some great flash-based games for improving Math skills. In keeping with my motto Sharing is Caring Bill shared another great Math resource for improving Math skills called Arcademic Skill Builders. This site contains multi-user games where students can compete against students from anywhere else in the world. It also has some single-users games like Alien Addition (screen shot below) that work great with or without a SMART Board. It's such an addicting site and such a great way to mesh games and education.
Wicked	Mathematics	I need to get back to work...I've been playing around with some outstanding educational math games for kids aged 7 to 12. The site is called Wicked and it contains wonderful flash-based games for improving your students' Math skills. Best of all, these interactive games work great with your SMART Board interactive whiteboard. My favorite games are Matho and Code Cracker. Matho helps students practice more complex math problems and helps them with the concept of order of operation. In Code Cracker, the students solve basic computations to reveal a hidden message.
Tumblebooks	Literacy	My favorite website for primary school teachers to use with the SMART Board has always been Starfall. It's an absolutely fantastic site. Another grand site for early readers is Tumblebooks. Tumblebooks is an online collection of animated, talking picture books, reading comprehension quizzes, and games. Michelle Morley wrote a blog post that describes how she uses Tumblebooks in her classroom. Thanks for sharing Michelle!
The Visible Body - Discover Human Anatomy Like Never Before	Science	As educators, we are blessed with amazing digital learning resources. I want to share with you a new resource I found called The Visible Body - Discover Human Anatomy Like Never Before. From the website: Argosy's Visible Body is the most comprehensive human anatomy visualization tool available today. This entirely Web-delivered application offers an unparalleled understanding of human anatomy. The Visible Body includes 3D models of over 1,700 anatomical structures, including all major organs and systems of the human body. This resource is currently free of charge and requires a PC using Internet Explorer.
Supertimer	General	I notice a lot of people searching for timers to use on their Smartboard. The Notebook software has a couple of good timers in the Gallery. Just make sure that you download the Essentials For Educators. For teachers who want to add a little bit of fun and excitement, you can use the Supertimer from Fiery Ideas. This is a very simple timer that blows up a balloon bigger and bigger until it gets popped by a thumb tack in perfect sync to the time you set. Confused? You'll just have to try it for yourself!
Gigapan	General	Oh...my...gosh... Sometimes it seems that certain websites are designed with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard in mind. I would like to share with you an incredible website that brings the ability of viewing images to a new level. The site is called Gigapan and it allows you to explore panoramic, high-resolution images in unique and fascinating ways. Since you can move around the image and zoom in and out using a single click and drag, it is very easy to use with your SMART Board.
A Maths Dictionary for Kids 2007	Mathematics	I love when readers of Teachers Love SMART Boards recommend SMART Board resources. Sharing resources is the ultimate goal of this blog. I have been getting some great recommendations lately through my twitter network, the Teachers Love SMART Board forum, and direct email. I want to share one of these recommendations today that was posted on the forum by TechMom. The site is called A Maths Dictionary for Kids 2007 created by Jenny Eather. What's great about this site is how thorough it is. Moreover, many definitions include interactions (perfect for the Smartboard) to reinforce the material and make it easier to understand. What a wonderful way to introduce new math concepts!
Wonderful website	Mathematics	While browsing around the SMART Exchange forum, I ran across a post entitled Notebook lessons for Elementary and Middle School Mathematics. In this post, Harvey shares his wonderful website that contains (among many things) a list of math Notebook lessons. Harvey does a great job describing his lessons and he even includes a screen shot so you can get a better feel for the lesson's content.
Imagination Cubed from GE	General	I'm so excited this morning since so many teachers are returning to the classroom today; I always loved returning from Winter break full of new ideas and new enthusiasm. I have a great new tool recommended to me by my good friend Lori called Imagination Cubed from GE. This is a great tool to use with your SMART Board! Basically it allows you to draw anything on the SMART Board using freehand or shape tools. What's cool about it is that you can replay what you did and it will animate your drawing and play it back for you. It also allows you to share, collaborate, and update drawing with multiple people. You can even invite people to come and draw with you. You really need to try to see what it does. Trust me, you'll love it!!
website for learning about caring for animals	General	My good friend Danny from across the pond tipped me off on the UK's RSPCA website for learning about caring for animals. The RSPCA promotes kindness and preventing cruelty to animals and in doing so has created a great interactive resource for your SMART Board interactive whiteboard. The beautifully designed learning resource includes engaging graphics that discuss how to find a home, how to care for your pet, and what rights are provided to animals under the law. All the activities are set up to work great on the Smartboard and the interactive story called Jake and Bones is a wonderful way to learn about finding a new home for your pet.
CYBERCHASE PBSKids website	Mathematics	Looking for something fun and educational to get your students actively engaged in the learning process following the long holiday break? Take a look at these great games (over 40) from the CYBERCHASE PBSKids website. I love this site because most of the games work very well with the SMART Board since you can simply touch areas of the Smartboard to work the games.
online Sudoku game	Mathematics	I had a request for an online Sudoku game that works easily with the SMART Board. Here is my favorite online Sudoku game from Fact Monster that has different levels, allows the user to tap the square to select the number, has a learning option, and provides touch-and-drag stickies to help solve the puzzle. Here is another version of Sudoku that also works well with the SMART Board. You can download this and use it inside your Notebook software. Please use this for educational purposes only.