Internet Media Specials

This was a good year at my school. We finally got Google Chrome added on the machines in the library lab, so students would be able to start using Google Drive with their documents. YES. The best part is that students and faculty/staff can add extensions to the browser without any permission. All they need to do is go to the Chrome Store and click what they would like to add. I've tried out many myself and recommend the following:

AdBlock- blocks all ads, including Facebook etc.

Announcify- reads aloud any webpage for you


Awesome Screenshot- allows you to capture the screen image and annotate


EasyBib Tools- provides students with instant citing of a webpage


Evernote Clearly- makes blog posts and articles clean and easy to read



Evernote Web Clipper- allows you to clip a web page or portions of a webpage to your Evernote account

Note Anywhere- add notes to any webpage; they will be there the next time you go to that URL

Quickrr- all in this one extension:

* Translator
* Dictionary
* Calculator
* Tasks To-Do
* Notepad
* Calendar
* World Clock
* Unit Converter
* Currency Converter
* Stopwatch & Timer
* Search Tools

Read and Write for Google Docs- assists students with disabilities, ESL students; provides talking 
dictionary, picture dictionary, vocabulary tool.



RemindMe- set reminders for yourself

Save to Google Drive- "This extension allow you to save web content directly to Google Drive through a browser action or context menu. You can save links to documents, images, and HTML5 audio and video all by right clicking and selecting 'Save to Google Drive'."

Session Buddy- "View and save the state of all open browser tabs in the current or past browser sessions."


Shorten Me- shortens really long URLs


Simple Highlighter- highlights, annotates and translates

Snippy- take snippets of webpages, then upload to Google Drive

Study Stack- FlashCards, Crosswords, Hangman and other activities to make memorization fun.

Task Timer- keep track and stay on task

With news of the recent Boston bombings, I wanted to remind you that I had posted resources on coping with tragedies back in December after the Sandy Hook massacre.

Click here.

It is great time to be alive. Technology is constantly changing the way we do things, making it easier than ever to stay organized. I have always embraced change, but there are many teachers who are still resistant. It's hard to sell technology without one key ingredient: reliable Internet access. Without the necessary bandwidth, any talk of a 1:1 initiative is impossible. At my school, we have been promised an upgrade this summer, but I'm still wondering how to push that motivation into overdrive in September. I found several resources online and hope you will share your own stories in the comments section.

11 Reasons Teachers Are Not Using Technology- post by John Spencer

Encouraging Teacher Technology Use- from Education World

A Few Ways to Motivate Teachers to Use Tech- from Larry Ferlazzo

How Can We Motivate Our Teachers to Use Technology?- EdTech Chic's posting includes links to technology newsletters.


If Technology Motivates Students, Let's Use It- from Edutopia
Technology Incentives: Motivating Teachers to Attend Professional Development Training

Understanding Tech-Savvy Teachers: Identifying Their Characteristics, Motivation and Challenges- 20 page PDF file

Brainy Pics- upload a picture and write a sentence; use any of the pictures already uploaded to explain the meaning of a word

BubbaBrain- interactive vocabulary practice for elementary, middle, high school and college levels

Flashcard Stash- registered teachers create vocab flashcards and can share with their students

Free Rice- each correct answer generates a donation of 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme.

Graph Words- online visual thesaurus

Knoword- helps boost vocabulary and spelling

Learning Chocolate- vocabulary learning platform includes a huge array of interactive lessons

Learning Vocabulary Fun-vocabulary games, English vocabulary word games, including Slang Game, Hang Mouse and Letter Games

MyVocabulary.com- root word lesson plans, puzzles, word lists and SAT/ACT test prep

PBS Kids Vocabulary Games- from Radio Martha to the Great Word Quest, a nice listing here

Professor Word- add the bookmarklet to Chrome, Firefox, IE or Safari and when reading a webpage; SAT and ACT words will be identified; can also give the definition to any words on the page which are not understood

Spelling City- teachers can save vocab lists, learning activities and games

VocabAhead- SAT and ACT vocabulary building

VocabGrabber- "VocabGrabber analyzes any text you're interested in, generating lists of the most useful vocabulary words and showing you how those words are used in context."

VocabSushi- " VocabSushi provides thousands of sentences that demonstrate any vocab word's contemporary usage in news articles."

Vocabulary Worksheets- from the Lesson Corner

Vocabulary Worksheets and Printables- filter by grade level


Wordia- includes videos of students and teachers explaining the meanings of certain words, many games

Launched in 2006, Internet Detective is a very cool site which was written for college-level students. After viewing the site, I feel that high school seniors and advanced juniors would also gain a lot of insight from using it. Looking for more resources on evaluating websites? Try some of the ones below:

Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources

Credible Sources Count- view a 10-minute tutorial about how to find sites you can trust. EXCELLENT!

Critical Evaluation of Information- Kathy Schrock's guide by grade level; covers elementary through secondary 

EasyBib Website Evaluation-

Evaluating Websites- from Indiana University Libraries 

Finding Reliable Information Online- slide presentation from middle school teacher Sean Hinger

The Five Ws of Website Evaluation

Media Awareness Network- "who, what when where" explained so you can understand it

Museum of Hoaxes- bogus web sites from A to Z

University of Berkeley Library- an excellent tutorial on finding information on the Internet

What to Consider When Evaluating Websites

Zackary Villeneuve's grandparents created Zac Browser so that he could interact with his computer in a calm way. It is the first browser created for kids with autism. Download to PC or Mac, and your child can access games, activities and videos in a safe environment. Here's a short video tutorial about Zac Browser: