A Little of This & That
There’s no real rhyme or reason in this post everyone, just sort of a random collection of new things I’ve uncovered, which runs the gambit from primary math and spelling to reading, social studies and science content for all ages, so let’s just jump right into it with the latest thing to make me geek out a little too hard…
Google Earth: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
If you haven’t dug into Google Earth in a while, it’s definitely worth taking another look. The app is now loaded with some awesome educational content (quizzes, themed educational explorations, games, etc.). The Carmen Sandiego game is one of the newest additions, and if you’re anywhere around my age, it’s likely already hitting all the nostalgia buttons, so go on over to Google Earth and play for yourself right now like I know you want to. Just come back when you’re done to read the rest of this post!
Google just launched the first installment, a Crown Jewels of London heist, but two more — “Keys to the Kremlin” and “Tutankhamun’s Mask” are already in the works. It’s a great way to explore geography, and it couldn’t be any simpler to get started. Just point your students to g.co/carmensandiego, (or access via the Voyager icon in the iOS app) and the game will load and prompt them to start “interviewing” witnesses by clicking on a magnifying glass. They’ll be presented with a list of landmarks around the city, and Google Earth will automatically zoom in on the location of each as it is selected. There, a witness will give them a clue as to where Carmen has fled. Just like in any other use of Google Earth, students can zoom and pan around the area in as much detail as they’d like. After talking to the witnesses, students can use the information to make their best guess as to where to fly to next to continue the pursuit. To help students keep track of the information they gather (and to help you monitor their progress) it may be worthwhile to have them fill out a simple chart like this one as they proceed.
Ease of setup: A +
Ease of use: A +
Engaging Interface: B+
Differentiation: I (awaiting future installments)
Target Grade Levels: Variable
Land of Learnia
Land of Learnia is a free (and ad-free) game that engages primary grade students in math and spelling practice within a modern 3D gaming environment. The Learnia world is composed of a number of different islands, each representing one year of spelling or math work. Students move at their own pace throughout the game, unlocking new levels by completing “skill stone” challenges to unblock the pathways. Both teachers and parents can be added as “coaches” to students’ accounts so that progress can be easily monitored. Both browser and app versions of the game are available.
Ease of setup: B -
Ease of use: A
Engaging Interface: B
Differentiation: B (self-paced)
Target Grades: 1–3
60-Second Civics
It’s just about all there in the name. Produced by The Center for Civics Education and billed as, “a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history,” these civic minutes are available directly from their website or via iTunes or Stitcher.
Ease of setup: A +
Ease of use: A +
Engaging Interface: C+ (audio-only)
Differentiation: C (free choice)
Target Grade Levels: Variable
On-level Current Events
Many (not so much me) enjoy using NewsELA for nonfiction and current event reading, and ActivelyLearn also has a large variety of current event articles available, but if you’re looking for something different, perhaps try one of the following options, both of which have content specifically written for targeted age groups.
DOGOnews: Great for civics as well as a wider variety of social studies and science content, this site’s articles are geared to K-8 students. Students can browse freely through the content, or by creating a free account, teachers can search, filter and assign specific reading. Embedded images, videos, vocabulary definitions, and commenting provide a bit of a boost beyond standard, static reading.
Ease of setup: A+
Ease of Use: A+
Engaging Interface: B+
Differentiation: D (could only be done by assigning different articles)
Target Grade Levels: K-8
Smithsonian: The Smithsonian TeenTribune, TweenTribune, TT Junior (all sections of the same site) offer articles written for students K-12, and each article is accompanied by a number of different lexile scores, making it easy to assign appropriately leveled reading for your students. Articles are updated weekly, aligned to standards, contain quizzes, and often embedded videos, and allow for commenting. Spanish-language articles are also available. Creating a free teacher account allows one to assign specific articles and quizzes to students.
Full lesson plans are also available, which the site claims, “refresh themselves with new articles, questions, and quizzes posted every day,” but I for one found this to be the most cumbersome part of the experience. The customizable “lessons” (really just good reading tasks) can be found here only by selecting “lesson plans” under the “Teacher links” menu on the main page; however, clicking the “Teacher Resources” option within that same menu and then clicking on “lesson plans” within that page takes one to an entirely different set of lessons! This set of plans, while they are more robust and contain some interesting ideas for activities as well as grade-level customizations, do not seem to be connected to any specific reading content on the site. To make matters worse, some explanations reference “the article,” but do not provide a link to said article. If you do explore this site, do yourself a favor and stay away from this section until you’ve familiarized yourself fully with the rest of what the site has to offer.
Ease of setup: A-
Ease of Use: C (dinged for the wacky lesson plan organization)
Engaging Interface: B+
Differentiation: C+ (lexile levels make it easy to differentiate for groups, but not individuals)
Target Grade Levels: K-8
That’s all I’ve got for today. Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have questions about these or any other EdTech tools, just drop me a line!
