Having trouble with the embedded ThingLink? Try the Direct Link

In this edition of the Holiday Special you will find nine resources for your classroom. You can find fun games, a Smart Notebook activity, and even two Google Slides projects.

All activities, besides the Smart Notebook activity, should work without a hitch on any computer or laptop, and this includes Chromebooks!

 After my last Halloween Special, I was asked if I could do a Thanksgiving one. I was more than happy to oblige and created the Thanksgiving Special 2017 Thinglink! You can find a variety of history & research resources, Thanksgiving themed games, and even a craft.

If you have troubles viewing the Thinglink, you can also access all the resources here: https://www.gettoby.com/p/f5vl0a9cps60.

Adding a 3D modeling component to any class has been made easy with usecubes. Usecubes allows learners to create simple 3D designs that can be colored and then easily shared via a link, Google Classroom, or other popular social media websites. The interface is pretty easy to use and works on any device a student can get their hands on...even cellphones and iPads!

Watch the tutorial below to see usecubes in action.

Sometimes an educator needs a resource that is easy to use, interactive, needs no instructions, and is actually fun!

Well, Smarty Pins by Google can fit all those needs. Smarty Pins challenges students in a variety of subject areas to find important geographic locations around the world. It provides clues which students can use to find a certain location and if they choose incorrectly, it will show them the correct answer. Students are encouraged to quickly guess to earn bonus points, but allowed unlimited time to find the correct answer. 

In fact, sometimes trying to find the correct answer will cause a learner to get side-tracked reading. For example, I was challenged to find the location of Ned Kelly's last stand. Thirty minutes later I finally remembered to enter the answer into Smarty Pins.

This website also works on all devices. It can be used on Chromebooks, MacBooks, Windows, and even mobile devices like iPads and Android phones!

I am always a sucker for free curriculum resources. In fact, anytime I here free my ears are perked. Often though the free part comes with a catch. This is not true for Elementary GLOBE. Elementary GLOBE is a resource sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation and then further supported by NOAA and the US State Department.

Elementary GLOBE provides units on:

• Climate
• Earth Systems
• Clouds
• Soils
• Seasons
• Water
• Aerosols

Each unit provides a book, teacher guide, and student activities. The activities themselves are often priceless resources! If you want to learn more about this resource and see a brief demo of what Elementary GLOBE has to offer, watch my YouTube demo below.

​One of my favorite iPad apps for video creation is Adobe Spark. Adobe has now brought this awesome app to the web so you can even use it on a Chromebook! Adobe Spark allows you and/or your students to create stunning videos that not only look great, sound great, but are also super easy to make. It also features a wealth of built in icon type images, meaning that students do not have to leave the website to find pictures. An added bonus is Adobe Spark features a sign-in with Google button. So if you are a Google Apps school, students can quickly sign-in without having to create an account.

If you want to learn more watch my tutorial video above or check out the demo video below.

Nothing fills a learners head with more excitement then the two words, field trip! And nothing fills the educators head with more dread than those two words, field trip! The planning, the transportation, the finding parents to help chaperon, the funding, can all be a huge undertaking on the part of a teacher. Why not simplify the process and have students tour places they never would be able to in person by taking a virtual field trip. By doing a virtual field trip learners can be in control of what they view, how they view it, and see things they would normally not be able to.

The hard part about virtual field trips is finding good resources to use. To help with this I have curated a teacher's beginning guide to virtual field trips here: Virtual Field Trip Ideas. These resources can be as simple as passing on a link to students or as intensive as setting up a step-by-step tour. So the next time you are in the mood for your class to do a field trip, try a virtual field trip and let the students explore!

In the above ThingLink you can find anything from games to fonts for all your Halloween type activities. If you are having troubles viewing the above embedded ThingLink, please use this direct link: All About Halloween ThingLink.

For this years Presidential Election, PBS has pulled out all the stops. They have created Election Central: An Educational Guide to the US Elections which is your one-stop-shop for all thing electoral! Election Central features interactive videos, maps, and even virtual field trips. I found the interactive map a really interesting resource. Using this map students can see where each of the candidates are and learn some great election historical facts. Oh, did I mention Election Central also feature pre-made lesson plans and videos with lesson plans/handouts!