Resources, Resources, Resources!

Hello!  My name is Nancy and I am a blog-a-holic, font-a-holic, resource-hunting-a-olic, and a share-a-holic!  This is my first blog entry and it is likely to pretty long!  I've had so many thoughts bouncing around in my head to share!  I have been collecting blog addresses for several weeks now.  My orginal thought was to create a table with the blog name, url, and what grade the teacher taught, and then give it to my fellow teachers...well...the more I found, the more I had the desire to do the same. So, here it is!

My former teammate Marcie Evans has inspired me so very much through the years!  She is the one who first introduced me to 'blogs'.  This is her former classroom blog. http://www.hopintoroom14.blogspot.com/ I hope you take a look at it!  She had a frog theme and I couldn't come up with a 'theme' for my room.  Then I realized I had a lot of apple stuff that was in my garage since the room it had been in became my husband's office.  I took it all to school and the 'apple basket' was born! Then I created a classroom blog with her help.  This year I haven't updated it at all; we just use it when we go to the computer lab and the students go to the links I instruct them to go to.  Here it is http://www.room15theapplebasket.blogspot.com/ I plan to update it when I get through with all of this!

The first resource I want to share is http://www.proteacher.net/ It is wonderful.  When I first looked at the site I was overwhelmed and left it quickly then Marcie let me in on how to use it...go to your grade level board and that's it!  I have found sooooo many useful resources and ideas there!!!!!  I'm finally a Jr. member although I've been a member since August 2007.  For the first several years I just read and downloaded resources that others had posted. (look for the paperclip it indicates an attachment..worksheet, game, poster, organizational tool etc.)  I finally started posting comments and questions and now I can post attachments too.  Check it out!

The next resource I need to share is Kim Sutton's Creative Mathematics.  She is a true guru in elementary mathematics!  If you ever get a chance to hear her speak or go to one of her conferences don't pass it up!  I have had the opportunity to hear her about a dozen times, at math conferences or going to one of her trainings and EVERY time I have ever hear her I have learned something new.  One of the things she says motivates children are 4 4-letter words: dice (she uses double dice & others!) race, game, and food (just naming something after a food can spark interest!). Check out her site http://www.creativemathematics.com/

Kim Sutton asked Ron Brown many years ago to put some math concepts to music, he did, and as they say the rest is history!  He not only has math music, but other concepts as well!  The kids absolutely LOVE his stuff and it teaches the concepts so well!  Check out his website http://www.intelli-tunes.com/index.php 

Whole Brain Teaching is AWESOME!  If you have never checked them out I strongly encourage you to do so!  In December I went to a one day training and it has changed the way I teach!  You can see their videos on teacher tube if your school district blocks youtube.  They used to be referred to as Power Teaching, but change their name to represent what they are sharing more accurately.  The idea is that the more areas of the brain that we actively engage the more learning occurs.  Their techniques also help with classroom management and discipline.  This Saturday, April 9, they are having a live TV broadcast on the web!  It's completely free and you can text in questions to the founder, Chris Biffle.  It is at 9 a.m. PST and here's the link http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1  Their website has tons of great info and free downloadable ebooks, all they ask is to spread the word!.  I have begun using their 'power pix'

If you have never checked out Beth Newingham's website; it is a MUST VISIT for elementary teachers!  I have no idea how she does it all!  She has many resources avalible on her site. Check it out! 

hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3

 Lettering Delights is my go to spot for all of the above!  Not only do they have great fonts, they also have 'alphabets'.  Alphabets are the colorful lettering you see throughout this post.  They can be used for bulletin board headings, in worksheets, letters, and forms.  The great thing about Lettering Delights is that you can access your library (everything you've bought or got as a freebie) from any computer that has access to the internet.  This is really helpful when you're working on stuff and home and at school!  You simply choose the alphabet you want to use click the 'try me now' button, type what you want to, save it, and insert it as a picture into word or other programs.  Right now it's Dollar Days where just about everything is just $1!  If you sign up with them you get $40 value of free stuff!  I also like Scrapn'fonts, they also will have freebies and $1 days too.  For free fonts

www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts ,& www.sugarfrogfonts.com   are terrific!  I have also just learned about www.scrappindoodles.com ,   although I haven't purchased any of their products yet.

I wanted to post a sample wordle for you, but I'm just a little frustrated with how to include a google document!  I'll focus on that later!  Trust me that it is worth checkin' out!  There are so many possiblities for using this application.  I am including a link with wordle ideas for the classroom.  When I get google docs figured out I may post some that I have made. WARNING!! Do not let your students at the gallery!! So people wordle things that, shall we say, are VERY inappropriate!  You may want to browse through it for ideas. Here's the link for the ideas www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/06/more-wordle-ideas.html

First Grade teachers, you have just hit the resources lottery jackpot!  There are  many wonderful teacher blogs, but it seems that the vast majority of them are at 1st grade.  The table (which I hopefully will figure out in a moment how to include!) shows the blog name (if it is highlighted I have personally found a resource, idea, link, download or something I feel I can use), web address, grade (if I know), and the 'x' is if I have gone through the whole web site yet.  You can see I have a ways to go!!!  Many of these teachers even offer contests to win some of the things they've made, gift cards to places teachers love, and cards to font & graphics sites!

Here is my table...YEAH figured out how to get google docs in here...therefore the wordle ideas wordle is in that section!!! :)

Now you may be thinking..'I can't keep going to all these sites and checking back constantly to see if there are any updates Well, welcome

In Google Reader you can enter a subscription, when you press that button simply paste in the web address of the blog you are interested in.  Whenever you go to google reader it will let you know if there are any new posts by the author of the blog.  I quickly scroll through the blogs and click the little star next to the post title for those that I want to look at more carefully later or download something from.  It is like a bookmark.  You can also create folders to organize the blogs you are following.  I have one for k, 1st, 2nd, fonts & graphics, and other (some spiritual, inspirational, fibro etc)  You can always go to the blog title at the top click it and it will take you to the actual blog! That way you can see their cute graphics, comment on posts, and see their sidebars.

Here's last resource I'll share today. Teacher pay Teachers; many of the teachers who have blogs sell the wonderful things they make on TpT.  The ones I've looked at seem very resonably priced, and even better (since money is tight) if you search under your grade level and have the price go from least to greatest you can find tons of FREE items.  I found signs, forms, powerpoints and more!

Now I said some of these teachers have contests, these are some that are happening right now:

http://outfittedandinspired.blogspot.com/

She has a really cute vacation countdown wall hanger!

http://curlsandasmile.blogspot.com/

 She's giving away a Pirate's Gold unit she created!

http://love2learnandshare.blogspot.com/

She's giving away a Fairy Tale Unit written by Brooke at Primary Perspective!

http://fun-n-first.blogspot.com/2011/03/100-followers-giveway.html?spref=bl
She's giving away 3 Literacy Center Packets!
http://firstgradefactory.blogspot.com/2011/03/first-grade-factory-giveaway-win-100.html
She's giving away $100 Gift Card to Learning is Fun Education Store!!!!
http://pattonspatch.blogspot.com/2011/04/300-followers-and-you-guessed-it.html?spref=bl
She's giving away several units that are also written by Brooke at Primary Perspective!
There may be more out there but I am determined to launch this blog TONIGHT!

A special GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Kristen at Ladybug Resources for the technical help I needed to get this out there!!! :)

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and what you thought!

Thanks for Visiting

The