The Tell Tale Heart Video: A Seasonal Favorite

Interested in bringing some seasonal celebration to your classroom? You may want to show this animated video of Edgar Allen Poe's Tell Tale Heart. This story is a great way to teach onomonopoeia (named after Poe himself) and suspense through the use of repetition. The video is embedded below and the link is available here. Thanks to my awesome Twitter feed for providing this resource.

The Tell Tale Heart - UPA (1954) from J.F. Culhane on Vimeo.

Finding Alternatives for Your Favorite 2.0 Sites

Do you have a favorite Web 2.0 site that is blocked by your school? You might want to try Alternative To, a website that finds similar services. For example, I searched for Animoto, and the site returned other favorites like Stupeflix and PhotoPeach. This could be a helpful tool when seeking out the perfect tool that can be accessed through the district filters. Thanks for Kevin Jarrett for sharing this resource. Enjoy!

Entri: Collaboration without Registration

Many of my classmates at Widener do not use Google Docs yet. (Yet!) Entri offers me the ability to collaborate on a document without registration. I tried it last week to collaborate with some of my classmates regarding a case study presentation, and it worked great. If you are someone who enjoys Google Docs but you need to share with others, try Entri.

Sight Word Game: Sight Words with Samson

Looking for an activity for your guided reading center? Try Sight Words with Samson. It's a game geared towards first and second graders. It works well with a SmartBoard or individual computer station. I tried it with some first graders, and they LOVED it. Enjoy!

Siftlinks: Make an RSS Feed from Twitter Links

Too busy to be on Twitter all day? (Yea, me too!) Well, if you feel like you are missing out on great educational links and resources, then you should try SiftLinks. SiftLinks takes all the links from your twitter feed and puts it into an RSS feed. Then you can peruse the links at your leisure without going through extraneous conversations. I hope this helps!

The Art of Storytelling

The Art of Storytelling was shared by a Diigo group that I belong to, and I LOVE it. The site is sponsored by the Delaware Art Museum. It features paintings housed in the gallery, and students can create digital stories inspired by the artwork. Students can also read and record their stories aloud. The gallery is enjoyable to explore as well. What a great way to promote digital storytelling in your classroom!

Thought Audio: Free Audio Books

Do you or your students enjoy audio books? Then check out Thought Audio! This site offers free audio books that you can either stream or download. Everything is free. You can buy a "zip pass" which just allows you to download the audio books more efficiently, but ALL the content on the site is FREE. The narrations also sound professional. There might be some great resources for your classroom. Thanks to Richard Byrne for sharing this resource.

Great Organizational Tool for Students

Always reminding students about turning in assignments or returning necessary paperwork? You might want to try Remind Post. This free service allows you to make a task list. If the task is not marked complete by the due date, all parties linked to the task are emailed a reminder. This could be very helpful for students who really struggle with organization and personal management. It might also be a good way to keep parents "in the loop." It seems simple, quick, and easy. Thanks to Richard Byrne for sharing this resource!