Internet Educational Resources

Great valuable educational resources

Image Source

The internet is a great platform for educational resources for both educators and students. I have encountered some sites that have helped me in my educational journey and sites that I will continue to use in this field. Below are a lists of sites that I want to share:

Image Source

1. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
This is a great blog that essentially covers everything you need to learn about PLNs
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/

2. Teacher Tube
This is a great resource to help you refresh your mind of all the subject concepts within all the grade levels. This is the equivalent of YouTube but designed directly for educators for them to upload and view videos specific to their educational field.
*Please take a look at this website it is an educational gem*
http://www.teachertube.com/

3. Free Professional Website Maker
Wix is a great resource to use to create a FREE professional website that you can promote to help you connect with other educators. This website can be used to elaborate on resources that are helpful for you. You can also elaborate on your educational philosophy and provide your contact information in order to expand your network and collaborate with other educators.
http://www.wix.com/

4. LinkedIn
This is a website that is specifically designed to help professionals connect with other professionals within their field in order to share information and assist each other in job searches. Many educators know about LinkedIn and I strongly suggest that you create an account in order to assist in your job availability.
http://www.linkedin.com/

5. The Educator's PLN Website
This is an actual personal learning network website for educators. Educators can create their own page and collaborate and converse with other educators through tutorial videos, blogs, forums, and direct messages. Users can also provide helpful links for resources and create and join groups with common interest in specific areas of education. another great aspect is that news feeds regarding education are updated and allow for educators to converse about these relevant education news that are in the national spotlight.
http://edupln.ning.com/

6. YouTube Video: Personal Learning Networks for Educators
This video explains the importance of PLNs mainly two reasons: 1.Accessibility, and 2.Connectivity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6WVEFE-oZA

7. Twitter
This is a great, well-known, social media website that can help you expand your PLN globally.
https://twitter.com/

8. Wikispaces
This is a great website that allows collaboration between classmates, and can display assignments, presentations, links to websites such as blogs and other worthwhile sharing links. Essentially Wikispaces maintains a consolidated digital location for classroom interactions.
http://www.wikispaces.com/

9. Newsela
This is an amazing resource for enriched literacy learning! This site allows teachers/students to read current national as well as international news at any lexicon reading level. Teachers can use this to differentiate reading assignments. One can take a news article written at a high school reading level and convert the text to a second grade reading level. Another amazing feature is that some news articles feature reading comprehension quizzes after the article to help teachers assess students’ reading.    
http://newsela.com/

10. Lino
This website is essentially an interactive tack-board/white board in which an entire class can collaborate and communicate with each other through instant post-it-notes and photos on the interactive board. This can be a great tool to use to foster collaborative brainstorming.      
http://en.linoit.com/

11. Blabberize
This website allows students to upload an image, manipulate the mouth of said photo so that it appears that the picture is talking. Then students can upload their voice recordings and apply it to the image. The end result is an image that moves its mouth while emitting the recorded vocals of students. This can be used to integrate technology into Readers Theater and make students invested in their reading.        
http://blabberize.com/

12. Blogs
This is a free online blogging account. Students/teachers can create free Google blogs that can be used for sharing reflective narratives as well as their individual projects. These blogs are also great for communicating with parents and allowing them to know what their child is learning in your classroom.           
http://blogspot.com

13. Diigo
This is a free online bookmarking and annotation resource. Students/teachers can use this website to consolidate all their web resources in one webpage and then share that page with others. Another tool within this resource is that Diigo users can annotate online reading and highlight sections of a webpage, and save these annotations on Diigo for future reference.  
https://www.diigo.com/

14. Story Bird
This website allows students/teachers to create online illustrated stories. Students can also illustrate a story that they have read and convey their comprehension of the story through their illustration. More importantly, these illustrated stories can be shared between all classmates and can foster an enriching literacy environment.       
http://storybird.com/

15. Illinois Common Core Standards
This is Illinois official Common Core State Standards webpage. I would strongly suggest that all Illinois educators bookmark this website in order to have quick access to the state standards.          
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/common_core/default.htm

16. Internet Safety
This website helps students understand the implications social media. The main focus is to help students understand the potential dangers of internet, and how students can navigate safely through the web. In this time of age in which student posts many of their personal information for strangers to see it is important that we teach students the dos and don’ts of navigating online.  
http://protectmyrep.org/index.html

17. Khan Academy 
Khan Academy is a non-profit educational website that provides a free world-class education digitally to anyone. This can be a great resource to help you differentiate your lessons. 
https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore

18. Mash-Ups
Mash-Ups is the concept of merging different educational sources to create a consolidated source with a graphical interface. This website explains mash-ups more in depth as well as supplemental resources for mash-ups.      
http://mashupsforeducation.weebly.com/

19. Virtual Field Trips
Teachers may not always have the time or opportunity to take their class on engaging field trips. In such circumstances virtual field trips can be just as engaging and more versatile on the locations and content. This website provides great resources for virtual field trips connecting to Art, History, and Science.        
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/trip.html

20. Readers Theater
Readers Theater is a literacy strategy that is used after reading a text. The students bring the text “alive” by reading it within a group, partners, and/or in front of the class. Essentially it is performing the script to activate students’ interest by actively engaging with the text. Students can make this strategy more fun by dressing up and acting out the script in a theatrical manner and make the script into a mini play. This website provides multiple diverse Readers Theater ready scripts.    
http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm

21. My Blog: Daniel Ramirez
If you like all these resources I have consolidated in one webpage then you should check out my educational philosophy, reflections, course work , insights, and wisdom on education all consolidated in one webpage: my blog. You can also add me to your own PLN with my contact information on my blog!      
http://danielbramirez.blogspot.com/

Image Source

*If there are any sites that have helped you or can benefit others please contact me so I can add them to list and share them with others*