Week+6+Resources

**Links from James**
[] [] Both of these websites are excellent resources for creating graphic organizers for students. They allow students to create organizers that suite their personal preferences. Both are free and would need teacher modeling and examples to be provided for students to best utilize their capabilities. --James

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[] What I love even more than a great link is a great link to many more great links! This is one of those great articles where the author has provided many resources (and accompanying ideas) on using technology to differentiate instruction in the classroom. Broken down by multiple intelligence categories, the author provides links to sites that would support a variety of ages and content areas. Enjoy! :)
 * Links from Missy**==

I love the flavor of this blog post! It addresses differentiating instruction but also the gender differences of our students and how to differentiate according to their specific needs. With a few key pointers/reminders PLUS ideas on how technology fits into the equation, this a great quick read! []

[] You name it, it's here. In three hyperlinks you can get lost in this site and have trouble finding your way "HOME". Cybrary Man has a comprehensive library of all things education - gifted and talented, special education, technology, graphic organizers, links by content area...the list is never ending. Want to get your students involved? Let them look through the "Student" links and see what they can find that is of use...technology for students? Try this [] He even has a Voicethread introduction on his technology links.

Links from Randy

[] Created by the Regional Technology in Education Consortium, this is an excellent website that provides tips on how to differentiate classroom instruction using technology that is available in the classroom. The site is geared towards all learners with a specific focus on middle school students and providing opportunities for them to learn and thrive in the classroom. The site begins with an explanation of differentiated instructionand its use in the classroom. Particularly useful are the links to the left hand side of the page that break down differentiation into specific arenas such as portable devices, graphic organizers and digital cameras among others. This website although good in its own right, is like a hub of information to find additional sources as each area provides a link to other websites and ideas that use the same form of technology.

[] This website, entitled simply Lesson Plans Page, lists dozens of social studies lessons that include some form of differentiation. All of these lessons are geared towards junior and senior high school and should provide both an opportunity for students to show what they know and a challenge for many individuals in the classroom. The lessons are broken down per large topics such as culture, community, economics and family among others. I found the lesson on the renaissance particularly useful with the information being presented through audio and visual methods and brings in kinesthetic methods as well through the writing exercise. Overall, a useful site that includes many different ideas for a social studies teacher.

12) [|www.lankutis.com/documents/TechDiffInstruction.doc]  This is a link to a document on differentiated instruction that breaks down specific areas of the instruction into seven different areas. Various topics are explained such as finding electronic text and using a word processor to help differentiate the classroom material. The author of this document shows the reason for using the method, why it will be helpful, the research that backs up the method and finally suggestions on how to bring the method into the classroom. The strategies can be used for any grade of students and help provide the teacher with realistic ideas on how to use the seven areas toward success in their specific content area.

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This site allows the user to upload photos, video clips and music and create their own videos online. All the user has to do add their personal media and the site does the rest. As described, the site itself acts like a director taking the information that is uploaded and making it into a video with the clips, text and photos being presented in time with the selected music. Text and images can be manipulated and accentuated once uploaded. This site allows a large amount of student creativity in the finished product but also eliminates the creativity by allowing the site to take what the students upload and create the actual video. I list this site as I have seen the link on at least half a dozen other sites on differentiation. Has anyone used this site? Does it work well and could it be used successfully in the classroom.

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=Links from Krista=

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This is an interesting link entitled //8 Lessons Learned on Differentiating Instruction// by Kechia Williams. Written by a fellow teacher who had been through the implementation of differentiated instruction in her career and shares what she learned though her experience. Although this is a short article I found the information to be rather useful in describing not only differentiation itself but also ways to implement the instruction into the classroom. The author passes on tips such as start small with easy changes then add more difficult ideas as the school year continues. She also describes the need for teachers to stay up to date on teaching practices in order to strengthen their practice within the classroom.

(Krista)

http://www.mybrochuremaker.com

I love this brochure maker. When you sign up, choose the free educational plan. There are templates to choose from and it takes you step-by-step through the process. This could be used as an alternative to Publisher.

(Krista)