My entrepreneurial journey as an educator was on the Iowa Entrepreneur show on IPTV last week. Here is a link to the 11 minute episode online: http://site.iptv.org/video/story/27045/iowa-entrepreneur-starrmatica
Each Friday on Facebook and Twitter, we share a curated digital resource from our library that is one of our favorites. In May, we focused on web tools. Here’s what we shared: Zimmer Twins Create your own animated movie! http://zimmertwinsatschool.com/movie/create Picture Book Maker Create your own picture book. Choose backgrounds, characters, and objects and add the text of your story. http://www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/picturebookmaker/picturebookmaker.php? Printing Press Use this interactive to design and print newspapers, brochures, flyers, and booklets. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/Printing_Press/ Make Beliefs Comix Choose your background, characters, and objects, and add text to create our own printable three panel comic. http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/make_belief_v10_u11.swf
Here are five pieces of digital content a teacher might choose from StarrMatica’s library use math manipulatives to foster concept development through visual models and problem solving situations. Addition Number Line Use these interactive number lines to demonstrate addition concepts. Bears in a Boat Are your students losing interest in your ten frame? Try using bears in a boat to catch their attention! Grouping and Grazing Try having your students group cows to practice counting by 5’s and 10’s or to practice adding and subtracting with a partner. Number Balance Use a number balance to compare numbers. → read more
Each Friday on Facebook and Twitter, we share a curated digital resource from our library that is one of our favorites. In April, we focused on social studies resources. Here’s what we shared: Civil War Soldier Choose a side, enlist, and follow an actual regiment as a civil war soldier. https://www.nps.gov/webrangers/activities/civilwar/civilwar.swf?activityID=3&userID= Treasures of Congress Explore historical artifacts from the beginning of our government to the present day. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/treasures_of_congress/page_1.html Pathways to Freedom Step through a journey on the underground railroad. Roll over images to collect clues that may help on your journey. http://pathways.thinkport.org/flash/ftf_1_0.html Go West with Lewis and Clark Travel westward with → read more
It can be difficult to find supplementary resources to meet the needs of the students in your classroom who need a challenge. StarrMatica’s library is packed with content that can help encourage those students to grow in their thinking. Here are a few examples: Engage your students in the scientific process Ecolonization Use your knowledge of organisms to construct a bio-dome with a self-sustaining food chain. Plant Growth Experiment View the results of an experiment to test whether water, light, and temperature affect whether seeds grow. Then answer questions about what you have discovered. Ask your students to make critical → read more
Each Friday on Facebook and Twitter, we share a curated digital resource from our library that is one of our favorites. In March, we focused on math resources. Here’s what we shared: The Data Bank Research Company Great interactive with a real life reason to gather and display data. http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me3us/flash/lessons/15/m3_15_00_x.swf Brilliant Beadstring Rekenrek Explore numbers, counting, addition and subtraction with an online rekenrek. http://www.ictgames.com/brilliant_beadstring_with_colour.swf Free Fractions Unit Check out this free fractions unit that includes video clips and activities for a variety of fractions topics. http://oame.on.ca/CLIPS/index.html?ePractice=T/?EP_Topic=Fractions How Big Are You? Estimate how many of a non-standard measuring tool it takes → read more
One of the benefits of having access to an entire library of content is being able to easily differentiate your instruction. For example, if you are working on place value concepts, you could create three collections of content. (Note: To view some of the examples, you must be a StarrMatica Member.) In Level 1, you could include content that uses base-ten blocks for your students who need visual support. Here are a few of our favorites with directions you could include in the collection: Base Ten Blocks Watch this animation first. Base Ten Blocks III Build 10 different numbers using → read more
Each Friday on Facebook and Twitter, we share a curated digital resource from our library that is one of our favorites. In February, we focused on math resources. Here’s what we shared: The Factor Game Play The Factor Game against the computer or a friend. Select a number and your opponent must find the factors. Then, switch roles. http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=4134 Bears in a Boat Are students losing interest in your ten frame? Try using bears in a boat to catch their attention! http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/VMF-Interface.html Pizza Parlor Fractions This is a fun game for practicing adding and subtracting fractions. http://kevinmuma.com/software/pizza/Instructions.swf Grouping and Grazing → read more
Educators often try to compare StarrMatica to other software programs, but once they begin the comparison, they quickly discover it is difficult to compare apples to oranges. StarrMatica’s library of online digital interactive content is the only resource of its kind. Being the only online library of digital interactive content makes us unique. Being a company founded and managed by educators makes us unique. Having content designed by classroom educators makes us unique. But what makes us truly original is the assistance only StarrMatica can provide for our fellow educators. StarrMatica leaves teachers in control of content decisions. While at → read more
Each Friday on Facebook and Twitter, we share a curated digital resource from our library that is one of our favorites. In January, we focused on science resources. Here’s what we shared: Molecularium Great resource for introducing students to atoms and molecules. http://nanospace.molecularium.com/ Career Town Explore career town to learn about job possibilities. http://vacareerview.org/k5/play-it/career-town/main.cfm Goldburger to Go Design a Rube Goldberg machine! http://pbskids.org/zoom/games/goldburgertogo/rubegame.html Lab Hazards Can you identify all of the lab hazards? http://www.interactivesolutions.co.uk/games/flashGames/labhazards.swf