Creative Commons and Sharing your work

Are you sharing your work on the internet or want to use work shared on the internet?  Copyright is important but tricky.  Creative Commons has been doing it best to make it easier for people.  Here is an infographic to help you understand a little bit better.

If you want more information this document will help you also.

Do you share your work online?  What rights do you give the viewer?

Project Based Instruction using ArcGIS Online

Introducing the Free, Self-Paced, Open, Online Course:

Developing Project Based Instructional Units Utilizing ArcGIS Online

https://sites.google.com/site/eyepodadvancedonline/

The purpose of this 5-part, self-paced course is to guide teachers to develop project based instructional units in which students analyze spatial data. Having students examine data, and patterns, and make claims using spatial data as evidence promotes learning within content areas and complements research on how students learn.

Technical Skills

•Build experience with ArcGIS online as a tool for creating and analyzing spatial data

• Discover the power of using spatial data to communicate ideas

•Gather and prepare spatial data for teaching and learning

Instructional Skills

• Learn about how students learn

• Develop lessons using a project based instructional framework

• Manage student-centered learning

• Create lessons that require students to analyze spatial data and practice 21st century skills

Assessment Skills

•Design an appropriate assessment of student learning and conceptual understanding that requires students to utilize spatial data to communicate ideas

•Align assessments with learning goals

• Examine student work to guide development of quality assessments that measure student learning

Cost: FREE                 

Dates: OPEN/SELF-PACED

No registration necessary

Participants said:

“Thank you for the great resources. I intend to use these as I design PBLs for the upcoming year over the next month.”

“I have been bringing GIS into my district at a pace dictated by my level of expertise. This course has done much to allows (sic) me to have more impact in my learning community”

“All components of this course were useful to me. Each provided a solid upgrading of my skills in GIS and they all added to what I am bringing to my district as it upgrades its own approach to STEM and its associated learning

projects.”

Developed as part of the Examining Your Environment through the Power of Data (EYEPOD) Project funded by the National Science Foundation's Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. Award DRL #0929846.         

PowToon - Free subscription for a year!

I have mentioned PowToon before, but in case you missed it PowToon is a way to create short animated videos.  It's a really simple way to introduce things to your students or at a presentation.  Well PowToon has been generous enough to give away a free upgrade to their premium version plus accounts for all of your students.  All you have to do is go to their site and either create an account or sign in with your existing account.  The code to use is: ToonUp5M.
This won't last for long, so hurry up and sign up today!

This post also appears of my Technology Blog - The Tech Savvy Science Teacher

Hacks for the Secondary Teacher

Make your own classroom posters

ReciteThis has many designs that you can use as backgrounds for quotes.  Maybe there is something that you always in your classroom.

Keep your markers lasting longer
 - Velcro markers to the top of your board and hang them upside down

Writing on plastic with a marker - paint over it with clear nail polish to keep it lasting longer

A roasting plan makes a great collection bin

I wish I had cute pictures for all of these, but I couldn't find any that were creative commons. :-(

Regents Chemistry

For those of you who teach Chemistry I have a website that has great worksheets on it.  It's called Evan's Regents Chemistry Corner.  While it is geared towards those who teach in NY, Chemistry isn't all that different around the country.  It also some worksheets and activities for those who teacher honors classes and might be preparing their students for the SAT II. 

As a new science teacher, this website has helped me out so much when I needed a homework assignment or worksheet to do in class.  Some of the worksheets are better than other...I like the worksheets the best.  The lessons is a good thing to give students who are absent or those who need read a topic in a different way.  It's also a good reading assignment for the students (hello Common Core!), especially when you are going to be absent and you want to leave something substantial.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

This post originally appeared in my technology blog The Tech Savvy Science Teacher.

EarthViewer App - take a look into Earth's past

I came across this app called EarthViewer.  It's a free app for Android and iOS and as soon as I found out about it I downloaded it on my class's ipad.  This app helps to answer questions such as: "What did Earth look like 250 million years ago? Or 1 billion years ago? Or 4.5 billion years ago? What was the climate like in the deep past?"

EarthViewer is an interactive tool for exploring the science of Earth's deep history. From molten mass to snowball earth, EarthViewer lets you see continents grow and shift as you scroll through billions of years. Additional layers let you and your students explore changes in atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day length, and solar luminosity over deep time.

What cool apps have you used in your class?

This post originally appeared in my technology blog The Tech Savvy Science Teacher.

Fabulous Freebies!

I know as teachers we are always looking for free things for our classroom.  I want to introduce you to Teachers Pay Teacher.  I know you might be thinking, you said free and this has the word pay in it.  Yes, there are many items that you can buy, but there are also many items that you can get for free.  I encourage you to go to the site and sign up and get to downloading some free materials.  Below are some of my favorite freebies!

Where do you find awesome resources for your classroom?

This post also appears on my other blog The Tech Savvy Science Teacher

ChemThink

ChemThink is a website that I can across this year and am eager to try with my students this year.  Students can sign up for it individually, but if they register as part of your class you can track their progress. 
It's a very simply designed website, but the basic principle is good.  You can assign students various sections of the site based on what you are currently teaching.  They can go through a tutorial if they need a refresher or some more information about the topic or they can go right to the question set.  They have to get 10 questions right before they can more on.  If they miss too many in a row, they will have to restart the problem set.  The questions also increase in difficult as they move through the set.
There is also a feature that allows you to correlate to your textbook.  This make the question sets match up to the chapters in your textbook.

I am looking forward to using it next year as my school doesn't purchase subscriptions to sites like Castle Learning and this looks like is a nice substitute (you know me....anything that is free is great!).

Do you use any online questioning sites with your classes?  What are your favorites?

This post originally appeared in my technology blog The Tech Savvy Science Teacher.

I'm obsessed with Giveaways

I have recently become obsessed with teaching blog giveways and I want to share this awesome one with you!

Don't be thrown off by the fact that that the blog talked about second grade.  The first two giveaways are things that can be used in any classroom.  The first is a cute monogram letter (that you could actually use in your house if you don't want it in the classroom.

The second is an awesome pencil sharpener.  I have been entering every giveaway I can find that is offering this pencil sharpener as I NEED one for my class.

Here is another AWESOME Giveaway (you could win an Amazon gift card or a Michael Kors bag (among other things)

Another place to win the awesome pencil sharpener.


Do you know of a great giveaway?  Are you running one and need someone to participate?  I would love to be able to offer some of my products to other teachers.

Chemistry Question and Answer Game Show game

This is a questions and answer game in a a game show style (you know the one!) It reviews the topics of: Acids and Bases, Elements, Mixtures, Compounds, Solubility, Periodic Table and Atoms. It runs as a powerpoint file with clickable links to navigate around the document.

Why follow this blog?

Well of course you want to stay on top of awesome resources for your classroom! ;-)  Also, while not everything on this blog are my creations, the things that are mine I want to get into your hands.  Anytime I do a flash freebie or flash sale, you'll be notified.

Happy teaching!

The Cell and Its Environment

This mini-bundle includes a powerpoint and a set of notes (students fill in the blank and teacher copy) around the topic of Cell Transport - diffusion, osmosis, active and passive transport. You will get two versions of the notes: one that is plain and one that has a fun boarder around it.

PhET Science Simulations

If you haven't used the PhET simulations with your class, you are missing out!  These are great simulations for all areas of science.  I love them
because there are some times when setting up an actual lab is not possible and these simulations provide students with the experiences to understand the concept.
PhET was Java based, but are not moving into creating simulations that run on HTML.  What does that mean?  They will not run on machines that don't have Java such as iPads and Chromebooks.  Even better, there is a page where other teachers have submitted their lesson plans and worksheets that go along with these sims; so everything is practically done for you!
They are even in the process of developing a Teach with Sims page to help you out more.  You can check out the prototype that they have already developed.

What other computer sites do you use in your classroom?

This post originally appeared in my technology blog The Tech Savvy Science Teacher.

Cell Theory and Early Life

 This mini-bundle includes a powerpoint and a set of notes (students fill in the blank and teacher copy) around the topic of Cell Theory and Earth's Early Life. You will get two version of the notes: one that is plain and one that is has a fun boarder around it. 

Cell Organelle notes

The mini-bundle includes notes (students fill in the blank and full text copy) and a power point presentation on the cell organelles. The notes are included in two versions: one with a scribble boarder around them and one that is just plain. 

Big Bang Theory Punnett Square Worksheet

Punnett squares are something my students always need practice with. I made this short worksheet to be additional practice for my students. I chose the Big Bang Theory theme because I love the show and I know many of my students do too. An answer key is included as well.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Big-Bang-Theory-Genetics-Punnett-Squares-1042339

5 Kingdom Overview

 A simple worksheet for the middle school classroom that organizes basic information of the 5 kingdoms.  It's is a great way to compare and contrast the 5 kingdoms all on one sheet.

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Hello!!

I've decided to create this blog to share resources that I come across that are helpful to the secondary science teacher.  This blog will focus on the 6-12 science teacher.  A bit about me: I am a secondary science teacher.  Right now I am currently teaching 7th and 8th grade, but have also taught 10th, 11th and 12th grades as well.  It is my hope that this site can be a resource for all secondary science teachers out there!