Technology

We are going on year 2 of 1:1 devices in our classrooms.  We have totally embraced the tech side of teaching - and LOVE it!  When we plan our weekly lessons or work on our long range goals for the year, we always incorporate technology into our design. Sometimes it is used in a small way and other times it is the key instrument in our lesson - for example we use an online dictionary to revise our essays or we use powerpoint to create the final outcome for a project. Over the last year, we tried several websites - some we loved and others not so much. It was all trial and error and our kiddos knew that. They definitely voiced their opinions of the different sites we used.

Based on our 1:1 classroom experience, we put together our Top Ten Websites List.  This will probably change or evolve as we continue to grow in our technology pursuits, so we will definitely update this list as our year progresses!

1.  Scholastic News has great very current news articles written for kids.  Great to use for reading nonfiction assignments inside small groups or even homework assignments. And we mean, who doesn't love a little Scholastic?

2. Tween Tribune was the very first online nonfiction reading website we ever used.  We still use it because it has great short information text articles written for different grade levels.  Most articles even have a video - and our kiddos get excited to watch the video after they have read the article.   We use it inside and outside of the classroom.

3. Newsela  is another great website for nonfiction and current events news articles.  It has great photographs and even online quizzes.  One downside of this site is your kids have to sign in.  If you have students who don't follow instructions very well, they tend to need help logging in.

4. Dogo News  is yet another great website for nonfiction and current events news articles. We like to vary between this, Tween Tribune, and Newsela.

5. Kahoot  is a great game based learning platform that your students will absolutely love. You can use it in any subject. Also, you can search already made quizzes and edit them to fit your needs. We used Kahoot to pre-assess and practice before tests. It also provides you with a graph for each student, so you can tell exactly who needs more help in particular areas.

6. Quizizz is another great game based learning platform that your students will love. It is similar to Kahoot, but better in our opinion. You can use it with any subject. You can also search pre-made quizzes and edit them to fit your needs. It is student paced and shows students funny memes when answered correctly or incorrectly. You can even choose to assign it as classwork or homework.

7. Quizalize Yet another great game based learning platform that your students will love. We really liked this site for vocabulary and spelling. It has a scramble word feature that the students find challenging.

8. Zaption has probably become one of the most engaging websites that we have found. It is video based lessons. You take videos from YouTube and insert questions right into the video at specific points. There is also a Zaption Gallery where you can search video lessons made by other teachers and edit them to fit your students.

9. Sumdog is a great website for math games. Your students will love playing it - our beg to play any time they finish work early or have indoor recess. Your students can compete against each other in class and at home. There is even a feature to compete against other schools.

10.  Spelling City is a website that has been around a long time. We still like to use for basic spelling pattern practice. It may be old news to teachers, but our students really do enjoy the games on the site. We usually have them earn 90-95% accuracy before they can play the games.

We hope you love these websites as much as we do! What other websites do your students love?!