Dig In

New Reading Site

2007-07-03T08:49:00.000-05:00

Reading Is Fundamental has launched a new site geared toward young children. Leading to Reading is a colorful site aimed at babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. I think my kindergarten students would enjoy many of the preschool activities.

Elementary Art Lessons

2007-07-02T18:25:00.000-05:00

I just returned from attending the National Educational Computing Conference. I was so inspired by presenters talking about the importance of student creativity and having a global impact. I found myself looking for new art related lessons on the web and came across a great site by a teacher. Elementary Art Lessons contains traditional lessons and computer lessons. I look forward to trying a few of the ideas myself.

Skitch

2007-06-22T08:28:00.000-05:00

I know it's been awhile since my last post. Hopefully a good find will make up for that! :-)

Skitch is a fabulous new programs from Plasq the makers of Comic Life. It allows you to quickly and easily share images and ideas.

Let it snow!

2007-01-27T10:33:00.000-06:00

SnowCrystals.com is a fun online guide to snowflakes, snow crystals, and all things snow related. You can learn how snowflakes can be made in a lab, view galleries of snowflake images, and learn about snowflake history. Seems like a great site for winter explorations.

New Wild Cam!

2007-01-16T19:34:00.000-06:00

National Geographic as done it again. Their latest Wild Cam is the Seal Cam. This cam provides live streaming video of elephant seals from Ano Nuevo Island in California. What a great chance to learn about these animals.

New Photoshop Elements Podcast!

2007-01-16T19:29:00.000-06:00

I was really excited to discover a new video podcast focusing on Photoshop Elements Killer Tips. The folks at Photoshop Elements Users newsletter have put together some great resources. This is one you'll want to check out for sure!

Go Monkey Around!

2007-01-10T20:42:00.000-06:00

Wow! It's been a long time since my last post. I've been searching for more online activities for my Kindergarten students to use. I found the Curious George site and they are loving it. It's a part of PBSKids. They especially enjoy figuring out how to Feed Gnocchi the cat along with many of the other activities.

Online Calendar Templates

2006-11-14T20:43:00.000-06:00

I found a great resource for making editable MS Word calendars online. Printable Calendars is a free service which allows you to choose your calendar style and dates. Then just download, open in Word, and edit. I added text and clip art and was very happy with the printed results.

Great Web Cam

2006-10-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

I've recently really gotten into exploring Google Earth. It has been fun to see how excited my students get when they first see it. While I was exploring the National Geographic Featured Content I came across the Wildcam Africa. This site is a must see! Right now I'm viewing Botswana, Africa and seeing some type of Antelope at the pond around 7:00 pm Africa time! The site also features highlight videos, animal information, and background information on the project.

Internet for Young Students

2006-10-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. I've been very busy with the start of the school year. In preparing several Internet review and safety lessons I came across Internet4Kids. This site provides simple, easy to read definitions of Internet terms and concepts.

Brain Pop Jr. Launches

2006-09-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

I was delighted to receive an e-mail today annoucing the official launch of the new Brain Pop, Jr. site. Currently there is open access to the movies, games, and other learning activities on the site. I am assuming that like Brain Pop the site will eventually be partially free and partially accessed by subscription. Don't wait to check this one out!

Fire Safety

2006-09-01T07:07:00.000-05:00

As fall approaches I know many classrooms will be talking about safety. The Sparky fire safety web site is full of great activities for kids. They even have some activities specifically for non-readers. There are printables and even info on dalmatians!

Sign Language Site

2006-08-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

With school starting I haven't had a chance to update this blog much. The American Sign Language Browser is a great site full of videos demonstrating sign language. Definitely worth a look.

Photoshop Elements Freebies

2006-07-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

I just added several links on The Digital Scoop Photoshop Elements Freebies page. Enjoy!

Free Photoshop Brushes

2006-07-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

I just found Jason Gaylor's blog which is full of free photoshop brushes! I downloaded several and they work great in Elements 3. I love finding great free stuff...especially high quality items like these.

New from Inspiration!

2006-07-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

Inspiration software unveiled InspireData at NECC this week. I got a firsthand look at this powerful software. It is well worth a look. Students and teachers can enter data and create graphs and charts. If their project is changes over time they can create an animation of the data movement. They have a free 30 day trial that I will be using soon. Check it out!

More Flickr Fun

2006-06-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

Flickr Toys is a fun site for creating with digital photos. You can create calendars, collages, trading cards and much more. Some of the toys require a Flickr account but others allow you to upload images. I know I'll be visiting this site again. Have fun!

Fun with Flickr!

2006-06-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Was doing a little blog surfin' this morning and stumbled on Spell wtih Flickr. I had fun playing with all the different letter combinations. Just a little fun for the start of summer! :-)

To Summer Blog or Not

2006-05-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

As the end of the school year approaches summer is on my mind. If you have a second please let me know if you will use this blog over the summer. The Digital Scoop will stay up all summer as will this blog...I just don't know how much I'll update it.

Art Resource

2006-05-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Harcourt School Art Glossary is a nice reference site. Students can have the definitions read to them and on many see an animated example.

Finding the Real Nemo!

2006-05-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

Over the past several classes my 4th grade students have enjoyed learning about coral reefs. They visited several sites, researched an animal of their choice, and made simple PowerPoint slide shows to demonstrate what they learned. Here are the sites they explored:
Enchanted Learning: Coral Reefs
What does a fish look like?
Aquatic Safari
Finding Nemo Underwater Classroom

Have fun exploring!

Online CSI Adventure

2006-05-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

The HHMI Virtual Bacterial ID Lab is your interactive window into dna testing and more. I had fun going through the bacterial identification process. This site would be best for upper grades.

New Comic Life Idea

2006-05-13T17:10:00.000-05:00

I recently added an alphabet page lesson idea for the program Comic Life. You will need to scroll to the bottom of the lesson page to see it. I would use this lesson with 1st or 2nd grade students. It would pair well with the pics4learning web site which offers free digital images.

Java Anyone?

2006-05-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

I LOVE the program Photoshop Elements. I am constantly on the look out for new tips and ideas to spark creative uses for the program. The Photoshop Cafe web site provides both. I have my 5th graders create cereal box covers in Elements and I discovered a contest the Cafe had which provided some awesome examples. This site is worth a look so grab a mug and stay a while.

Animal Site

2006-05-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

My 2nd grade students were creating animals in Switch Zoo today and I decided to check out their company web site. I was pleased to find an interactive endangered animal activity. Students can click on a state and find out information about the endangered animals there. Check it out.

A Hoppin' Site

2006-05-08T17:32:00.000-05:00

Travel with Zeke and Zoey to the jungles of Costa Rica to discover the Mystery of the Poison Dart Frog. Students will learn about museums, artifacts, rain forests, and the poison dart frog. There is quite a bit of reading involved so the site would work best with upper elementary students.

New Photoshop Elements Lesson

2006-05-05T16:09:00.000-05:00

I recently taught a workshop on classroom projects for Photoshop Elements. I am in the process of adding these lessons to The Digital Scoop. The first new addition is a lesson based on the children's picture book Look Once Look Twice by Janet Marshall. I designed this lesson so each student's project would be placed in a class book. You could also have them use techniques in the lesson create titles for projects.

Free Clip Art

2006-05-04T19:20:00.000-05:00

Need clip art for a project? Check out Canon's Free World Clip Art site. The art is created by illustrators from around the world. I have also used the Clipsahoy site for several student projects.

I would love to hear of other free resources for clip art or digital images on the web. Leave a comment if you know of one.
Thanks!

New PBS Blog

2006-05-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

I received an e-mail today announcing the Learning Now blog. I am excited to see how technology and education are highlighted each week. The first article brings up the debate about blogging and school web filters. Very thought provoking.

Fur and Feather Fun!

2006-05-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Your mission should you choose to accept it. . . Visit the F.F.F.B.I. The Fur, Fin, and Feather Bureau of Investigation is your ticket to learning and adventure. Become a detective and solve the latest mystery, listen to the latest radio drama, or just check out the crazy cast of characters.

NETA Presentation

2006-04-27T19:54:00.000-05:00

I would love to hear from anyone who attended either the Quick and Easy Curriculum Connections presentation or my Photoshop Elements Projects workshop at the NETA conference. I hope you find both informative and inspiring. I would enjoy hearing how others are using technology with kids.

Interactive Animation

2006-04-26T06:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a great interactive animation from PBS on plate tectonics. Use your mouse to click and drag the plates. You'll see earthquakes and volcanoes!

Current Events

2006-03-19T13:40:00.000-06:00

I was excited to find a reference to the site Kids News Room on a fellow teachers blog. This site provides current events in an easy to read manor. The site also has a variety of games. I could see 3rd-5th graders really enjoying this site.

Musical Find

2006-03-08T18:37:00.000-06:00

The New York Philharmonic Kids Page is a fun resource. Students can learn about many aspecs of the orchestra. Check it out!

Excellent Math Site

2006-03-01T18:15:00.000-06:00

I was surfing the NCS-Tech blog and found a link to the Rain Forest Maths site. I thought the rainforest site looked familiar. It was created by an Australian teacher who also created A Maths Dictionary For Kids. Be sure to check out these fabulous, content rich sites.

Finally a new post!

2006-02-27T18:43:00.000-06:00

It is amazing how time can get away from you! I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. I recently found Inkless Tales. This early education web site would be great for preschool to kindergarten students. I really liked the animated alphabet along with the stories, poems, and simple games.

Nutrition Site

2006-01-29T16:08:00.000-06:00

Several grade levels at my school are studying nutrition right now. I happened to stumble across the site that directly correlates to their studies. The Nutrition Explorations site has Activities, Nutrition information, recipes and more. The several of the Activities are online flash games which reinforce classroom activities.

Updated Site Find

2006-01-19T19:56:00.000-06:00

Wow! I was just looking for lesson ideas and found out the Create A Graph site has some great new improvements. I love the new layout and ways you can download your graphs. Can't wait to use this with my students.

New Kidspiration Templates

2006-01-13T07:25:00.000-06:00

I added two more templates and lesson plans for Kidspiration. Each lesson plan involves a popular children's book and curriculum related activity.

Dinosphere

2006-01-11T19:03:00.000-06:00

Dinosphere is an awesome web site from The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Students can learn all about dinosaurs with text, pictures, sounds, and online activities.

Snow People

2005-12-21T20:37:00.000-06:00

I recently had my 5th grade students create a modified version of a 3D snowman tutorial from kromefx.com. They had a blast with the 3D Transform filter and using their prior knowledge of the paintbrush tool to enhance their creations. Check out their work.

Penguins

2005-12-14T17:44:00.000-06:00

I have recently done several penguin activities with my 2nd grade students. They loved visiting The March of the Penguins web site. They especially enjoyed the game Save the Egg which is actually on the National Geographic site.

We drew penguin pictures in Kid Pix using the circle, filled shape, and pencil tools. They also researched and wrote about penguins.

Photoshop Lesson

2005-12-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

I found another fun, easy lesson for Photoshop Elements. Once students learn about filters, layer styles, and text they can easily create this lesson in Elements. Make sure to scroll down on the page to see examples.

Free Digital Images

2005-11-30T18:09:00.000-06:00

I often have students use digital images in projects. I often use pics4learning.com and freefoto.com. Both of these sites are wonderful resources. I recently found freeimages.com and I am sure I will be using it often as well.

Fun Lesson Idea

2005-11-28T06:54:00.000-06:00

While looking for new ideas to use with Photoshop Elements, I stumbled across this name activity. Even though it was written for another program it can easily be converted to work in Elements. It would be a nice practice lesson for students learning Elements. Have fun!

New Scoops

2005-11-20T16:43:00.000-06:00

I just added several new pages to The Digital Scoop. I added new sites for multimedia resources along with new Kidspiration templates. Hope you enjoy!

Digital Scrapbooking Find

2005-11-17T21:09:00.000-06:00

I just found a cool web site devoted to digital scrapbooking. Digital Design Essentials has examples, tutorials, a shop, and free downloads. I love the fun fonts. Enjoy!

Scholastic Online Activities

2005-11-16T06:55:00.000-06:00

Scholastic has a wonderful set of interactive online activities. They are sorted by grade level and subject. These are a great source of curriculum related activities.

Maggie's Earth Adventure

2005-11-12T15:00:00.000-06:00

Scholastic and Maggie's Earth Adventure have come together with some great online games. They focus on Language Arts, Math, and Science.

Time After Time

2005-10-30T22:42:00.000-06:00

Playing With Time is a great web site on how the world around us changes over time. It would fit in well with a stop motion animation unit along with many science and math topics.

I Spy

2005-10-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

I recently developed a lesson for creating I Spy style pages using Photoshop Elements. I am in the beginning phases of testing this with students and can't wait to see the results.

Fonts, fonts, and more fonts!

2005-10-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

I just added several new links on the fonts resource page. All of the links lead to free fonts!
Have fun!

Wild for Warhol

2005-10-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

I recently revised my Warhol inspired art lesson for Photoshop Elements. I've found the new techniques much easier to use with students.
Have Fun!

Writing Web Site

2005-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Scholastic has a great site called Write It. The site provides step-by-step help through the writing process. Students can also publish their writing on the site.

The Blobz are Here!

2005-10-20T06:47:00.000-05:00

The Bloz Guide to Electric Circuits is an awesome interactive web site. Students will gain good information, work through online activities, and take quizzes all related to Electric Circuits. This site is definitely worth a look.

Custom Color Swatches in PSE3

2005-10-19T18:49:00.000-05:00

Found a great tutorial for creating your own color swatches. I can't wait to try this... I think it might come in handy when working on continuing projects.
Enjoy!

Color your world

2005-10-18T20:57:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered two great color related web sites. Color Schemer is a quick tool which generates color schemes which you can lighten or darken. Color In Motion is a fun site which explores color communication and symbolism.

For me seeing color in new ways always gets my design creativity going.
Have fun!

How does your garden grow?

2005-10-17T07:11:00.000-05:00

Font garden is not your typical font site. Not only do they offer free fonts and ones you can purchase... you can also create your own font. This is a great site to find fresh, never before seen fonts.
Enjoy!

Design Find

2005-10-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

I found this design/photography web si te while surfin' a few blogs. I am totally into the design guides...love the different color palettes in each guide. A great resource when creating in Photoshop Elements. Enjoy!

LUV THIS SITE!

2005-10-10T18:46:00.000-05:00

Just found typoGenerator! What a cool site. Be sure to check this one out.

Photoshop Fun!

2005-10-08T13:01:00.000-05:00

I've been having so much fun with this tutorial from Digital Scrapbook Place. I've made several custom brush sets which you can download and use in Photoshop Elements. Enjoy!

Girls Go Tech

2005-09-25T17:57:00.000-05:00

I just found this great web site called Girls Go Tech by the Girl Scouts. The ideas and activities are equally suited to girls and boys. Try the mixed messages... it got me a couple of times!

Pattern Wizardry

2005-09-22T19:12:00.000-05:00

I just found this cool site focusing on patterns. Pattern Wizardry has games which allow students to design intricate repeating patterns. There are also resources for parents and teachers.

New Desktop Pic

2005-09-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

Check out the Fun Stuff section for a new freebie. A desktop inspired by the craziness of going back to school and work.
Hope you enjoy.
:-)

Font Fun!

2005-08-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I LOVE fonts! I know how frustrating it can be when you ask a student to pick a font and they could literally keep searching for the entire class period.... But secretly I love doing the same thing.

In my search for cool fonts I found Fontifier. A place you can turn your own handwriting into a font! Now honestly I'm not sure that I want my handwriting as a font, but I know a couple of people with really cool handwriting and it would be awesome to have them create a font. Might have to try it out one of these days.
:-)

Fun New Lesson

2005-08-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

I just visited The Adobe Digital Kids Club for a little digital inspiration before school starts up again. I was excited by all the new lessons for Photoshop Elements. I liked the Funny Ads lesson. I think kids would love to find their favorite products and change them. They could even create their own product instead of just a funny name. Possibilities, possibilities!

Digging in and loving it!

2005-08-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I have my own web site and now a blog! What am I thinking? Who knows if anyone will use it but me... at this point just creating and dreaming of what this could be is enough for me.