Shift Happens - Did You Know 2.0

An update of the original Shift Happens video can be found on UTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

Mozilla Firefox

Why might you choose Mozilla's Firefox instead of Microsoft Explorer for your Internet browser? Some of the reasons that Firefox is chosen might include:
1. increased security - originally, Firefox was believed to be more secure
(I'm not sure if this is still true),
2. pop-ups were blocked more effectively
3. it is open source which means that it's free, and it can support applications developed by users
(Firfox is created and maintained by a non-profit group)
Check out the Mozilla site for more information
http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/about/whatismozilla.html

Comments

I'm very glad to see that almost all of you have posted a comment on our blog. I'd like to address a few of your comments.
Colleen asked for some riddles for High School level students. I did a search using:
riddles "brain teasers" , and got this site which looks usable for students.
http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/index.php
Shari says that she cannot use the favorites feature at her school, and must put the links into Word and open the site from there. This works if you click the link in Word using Ctrl-click (hold both keys down together).
Audrey comments on sites slowing down when a whole class tries to use it at the same time. This happens if the site is a smaller one. Servers cannot handle the traffic and slow.
The only solution I can offer is if you can use two sites during class and switch half way. This way only 1/2 the class will be accessing at one time.
I appreciate all of your thoughtful comments, and I'm pleased that you're beginning to use this technlogy.

Find a Site

There are lots of places to find sites for your students. Not all of them are good. We are going to try some that should give you sites that your students can use.
For K-4 students, try Ziggity Zoom, Cyberbee, and KOL Homework Helper.

For grades 4-7, start with KidsClick, Ask for Kids, Awesome Library, and Fact Monster.

High School students can use Awesome Library, Library Spot, & Homework Spot.
All of these can be found on the The Home Page (http://theteachersnet.org ) then click the search link.
Also, be sure to also check the Find a Site link to see a few additional site lists.

Glad You're Here

I'm glad that you're joining the "Internet for Teachers" class. I hope that you are ready to explore the whole range of educational resources and techniques on the Internet; to decide which of these resources might work for your students; to share your expertise with colleagues; and to figure out what your students know that you don't know. Welcome! Mary