Symbaloo to the Rescue

My school has been using a Templates folder to access links on a server for years and for awhile now it hasn't been working.  Last year around Winter Break, I started putting together a small list of the main resources needed and put together a Symbaloo page to work around the "broken" Templates folder.  Since we are starting a new year, why not use this Symbaloo webmix to access the commonly used websites.

All of the resources are organized into content areas by location on the Symbaloo page and by color.  For instance, the links at the TOP of the page with a PINK background are Literacy resources.  The link on the RIGHT that are BLUE are Social Studies resources.  The links on the BOTTOM that are RED are Math resources.  The links on the LEFT that are GREEN are Science resources.  Last, the resources in the MIDDLE and are WHITE are commonly used resources for testing and other miscellaneous resources used at Tri-Creek.  So, a more simplified explanation is as written:

• TOP & PINK = Literacy Resources
• RIGHT & BLUE = Social Studies Resources
• BOTTOM & RED = Math Resources
• LEFT & GREEN = Science Resources
• MIDDLE & WHITE = Miscellaneous Tri-Creek Resources

This webmix can be embedded in your classroom blog if needed.  Just ask for assistance on embedding the webmix to a static page.  If you would like to customize the links to fit your classroom needs, I would also encourage you to attempt to build your own Symbaloo webmix.

If there are any websites you would like added to the Symbaloo webmix, please let me know in the comments section below or email me directly.

Presidential Resources

So, what resources are out there for the Presidential Election?

Searching the for reliable sources can sometimes make your head spin, but what a great way to make students' heads spin.  Teach students to evaluate a website's validity.  To take it a step further, students can also learn the meaning behind biased content.   After researching content, students should create a persuasive product that extols the merit of their party or candidate.

Because a Romney vs. Obama debate could get too heated and their are only so many Romney/Obama presentations one can take, some teachers are using historical figures as presidential candidates.  From this, students must persuade their classmates to vote for their chosen candidate.  For instance, one group of students is constructing a persuasive product to convince others to vote for Michael Jordan.

• What are you doing in for the election?  
• Are students relating to this current event or are they apathetic to the 2012 Presidential Election?  
• How can you leverage this current event to create authentic learning experiences?