Announcing The 19Pencils Teachers Rewards Program

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

It’s hard to believe that Spring has sprung. At 19Pencils we not only want to help you discover and manage fresh websites for your class, but we also want to show our appreciation to the teachers who use the power of 19Pencils to help enrich the learning process for their students. We’ve got you covered on the first part. To help with the second, we’ve partnered with our friends at Chalkfly.com to create the 19Pencils’ Teacher Rewards Program.

Announcing the 19Pencils’ Teacher Rewards Program powered by Chalkfly logo

We want to see you and your class get the most out of your 19Pencils page. Do you like discovering new websites for your students? Add ‘em to your class page! Do you want your students to have great resources at home? Tell parents about your class page!

We will reward two lucky members whose class pages have the most activity during the month of April with $20 to spend on school supplies courtesy of Chalkfly, the best place online to get your classroom supplies. You will be able to spend your rewards just like cash directly at Chalkfly where you can get anything from crayons to protractors and everything in between. Simply send your students to your class page between April 1-30 and you could win free stuff for you class. It’s that easy. And be sure to look for more contests just like these throughout the school year.

With 19Pencils it’s easy to discover and share web resources with your class. And with the 19Pencils’ Teacher Rewards powered by Chalkfly now it’s easy to get free stuff for your class too.

Happy teaching and good luck!

The 19Pencils Team

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3 Easy Steps to Including Websites in Student Assignments

Posted on October 28, 2012 by

There are often times when a teacher wants to direct students to a website (or sites) to gather information. Usually this is followed by the desire to have the students present what they’ve learned, in a brief paper or similar task. Depending on the age of the students you have to ask yourself “Should I ask them to try to find the website for this assignment, or should I point them to it?”.

Depending on the age of your students you may want to point them to it, and I’m going to show you how to easily do that in just a few steps. Here we share how you can quickly detail the objective of your students and refer to specific websites that you may already have in your 19Pencils list of favorite resources. Even if you don’t have them already saved, you can easily discover them and add them with a single click of the mouse.

Step 1: Write Up your Assignment

Point your browser 19Pencils.com and log in. If you don’t already have an account, don’t worry it’s completely free and painless to create one. Once logged in, visit your dashboard by clicking “My Dashboard”, then click “My Assignments”.

If you’ve never created an assignment before you will see a brief bit of text explaining how to create one. Since that’s what we’re doing here and since you’ve read this far I’ll assume you’ve never created one so go ahead and click the “New Assignment” link.

Adding a title and details for your new assignment.

You will see that you can enter a title and description of your assignment. Note that you can use bullets and even a numbered list for formatting your text here. Enter the details of your assignment and click “Save Assignment”.

Step 2: Adding Web Resources

Now that you’ve created the assignment, let’s add a web resource or two.  Go ahead and click on the “Add Content” tab from your dashboard. Now you can simply search for resources you wish to included in your assignment.

Go ahead and search for “Dinosaurs”. You will find many resources under this topic. Determine which you would like to point your students to. Next roll your mouse over the “add to…” link where you will see a small note appear giving you a choice of locations you can add this resource to.

Adding a resource to your already created dinosaur assignment.

Once you have selected your assignment from the menu shown above you will see a confirmation that the added resource was placed.

Step 3: Share With Your Students

This last step is really just sharing it with your students. You see in the previous two steps you’ve managed to create your assignment, discover resources, include those resources, and now the easiest part of all is to simply show your students the results.

Visit your class page, or you can visit our sample here.

Placed assignment on your class page!

You will see your newly created assignment is now found on the “Assignments” tab where your students can click to open it. Once expanded you will see the resource you added and your detailed description of the assignment.

Including web resources for students doesn’t need to be a long, arduous task. With 19Pencils it’s easy for you and your students with just a few clicks.

Happy teaching :-)

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New! Simple Search for Students

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

(CC), Courtesy of Danard Vincente, http://www.flickr.com/photos/danardvincente/

When I first had the idea of 19Pencils it stemmed from the simple concept that teachers should be able to easily discover and share websites that they found useful in their classroom. It was that simple.

Now with thousands of teachers around the world saving resources with 19Pencils there is more content than ever for teachers to discover, but what about the students themselves?

With all of the content available it made me realize that for a student to be exposed to a resource online, more often than not, a teacher has pointed them to it. Searching for a student, particularly younger ones, is a daunting task at best. Depending on the age of the student this may vary, but lets say the typical 4th grader.

What if a teacher had an assignment where the intent was for the student to search for a specific resource, is there a way to enable the teacher to give the student a little nudge in the direction of finding a particular website? Sending a young student to Google or Yahoo! could be asking for trouble, or at least a bit of wasted time.

Searching For Resources

Searching for resources about “space”

What if a teacher wants to have some degree of control, but still give the students that opportunity for discovery on their own? Maybe you have an assignment where you want the students to actually search for something, but you want to have some input on the items presented to them?

Simple (Student) Search

Announcing a new feature that can now be found on all 19Pencils member class pages that we call Simple Search. With Simple Search your students can enter keyword or topic and it will search through all of the favorites you have saved. Note this search only applies to your resources so you can have confidence that your students won’t be inundated with thousands or millions of results and the results they are shown are items that you yourself have already designated.

By pooling resources beforehand you can easily narrow down content for your students to access, while still providing them with the learning opportunity of discovering their own results. You can start by finding general resources that your students would find useful, such as resources about space as shown above.

Next, by rolling your mouse of the add to.. menu for any resource, you will be able to place that resource either directly onto your class page, or add it to your favorites for later. By selecting either, the resource can then be discovered by your students by simply searching from your class page as shown below.

Student searching for “space travel”

Now when your students visit your class page they can have the flexibility of discovering new resources, while you have the confidence of knowing exactly what resources they will discover.

Happy Teaching :-)

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Saving Teachers a Little More Time

Posted on September 12, 2012 by

This is a follow up to an earlier post where we had shared an early release of our Chrome Browser extension.  When we made that early version available we opted to not make it available in the Google Web Store for a variety of reasons.

Learn about and install the free 19Pencils SiteSaver extension for Chrome.

Well, recent changes to Google Chrome have forced our hand in making it only available from the store. That’s a good thing. You will always be sure to have the latest release and can quickly install with only a click of your mouse.

But why would you want to use the 19Pencils SiteSaver extension? Well as our goal is to provide ways to help teachers save time in the classroom, this will allow you to save resources for your students from virtually any website!

Once installed you will find a button is added to your toolbar, showing a nice number “19″. Clicking this will enable you to visit your class page, save the website you’re currently viewing and even see how many resources you’ve found for your students to date.

We know it’s not exactly a cure for cancer, or a step towards world peace, but it’s one little thing that we hope makes a little difference for you and your students.

Happy teaching! :-)

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What Does It Mean To Inspire?

Posted on August 4, 2012 by

What inspires your students? Photo courtesy (CC) AlicePopkorn via Flickr

Inspiration, it means something slightly different to everyone. Or rather the act of inspiring means something different to everyone. What does inspire mean to you?

Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “inspire” as follows:

in-spire \in-ˈspī(-ə)r\ transitive verb
  1. to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration
  2. to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on <was particularly inspired by the Romanticists>
  3. to spur on :impel, motivate <threats don’t necessarily inspire people to work>
  4. affect <seeing the old room again inspired him with nostalgia>

Whether parent, teacher, or both inspiration should be something always in mind when engaging with your student or child. To inspire someone (child or not) can take many forms. Worth noting is the example from the dictionary itself that notes “..threats don’t necessarily inspire people to work…”.

Often times it’s easy to forget that the smallest nuances can inspire or deter as the case may be. Negativity breeds negativity so try to make every day a positive one for you and your students.

Not every student excels in every approach to a given subject, often times finding that unique approach can be the difference between the student simply getting through and thriving.

If you can reach that place, finding that unique inspiration for each student you’ll not only be creating good students but great lifelong learners who will thrive not just in school but in life. And it will be you that they will always remember for it.

How can you inspire students? The first definition above is probably the most apt “…guide by divine or supernatural inspiration.” That is a teachers job, almost in a nutshell isn’t it? Supernatural inspiration!? I love it. And I think that every teacher has this capability, and I hate to say it, but a responsibility (shared with parents of course) as well.

Using one’s supernatural inspiration means truly knowing who your student is. Do they exhibit a particular interest in one topic versus another? Do you take the time to notice that interest, whether it’s inside or outside of the classroom? How can that topic be bridged into another? Do they aspire to have a particular career?

Take the time to make that mental note of these things and share that information with parents when the opportunity presents itself.  Occasionally chat up that topic with the student. Remember that sometimes just validating their interest can be inspirational! By not shooting it down out-of-hand in a negative way can go a long way in validating that their interests matter. And that positivity can alone be extremely inspiring.

Whether adult or student, everyone wants to know that their dreams, hopes, and aspirations matter. By not dismissing your students interests, responding positively and engaging with them, you are doing far more than you can imagine for them today and tomorrow. But then again we already knew that right?

Happy Teaching. :-)

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Back to School! Are You Ready?

Posted on July 31, 2012 by

(CC) courtesy of dave_mcmt via Flickr – Soon all these seats will be filled again!

It seems like only yesterday that my own kids came home from the last day of school, each bragging about how late they were going to sleep in the next morning. And here we are with the first day of school now only a couple of weeks away. What types of things are on your check list for back to school?

There is of course getting your class decorated and then deciding how you’ll have the desks arranged. Rows again, or maybe to mix it up with a half circle?

(CC) courtesy Kimberly Rodriguez via Flickr – Decorate your class with your unique designs!

Beyond the normal stuff on your To Do list there are of course other things that you can do now that may make that transition back into the classroom easier for your easier for your students, and maybe even a bit more fun through the year.

Here are a few technology resources that, setting up now, can save you a bunch of time later.

Start a Class Blog

Although maybe old hat to many, setting up a blog for those of you that haven’t yet should be something to consider. It’s a great way to track the events and activities throughout the year, note special information for parents, and gives you a way to reflect on the year when it all winds down.

There are many, all free, sites that can have you up and running in no time including; Blogger, BlogSpot, and WordPress. Each have their own slight differences so check them out.
One thing they all have in common is a great way to create daily updates with content and formatting as you see fit. They each also have unique templates to make your blog as unique as your teaching style!

Web Resources: Searching and Sharing

Depending on the age of your students you’ll want to be able to quickly and easily get web based resources in front of them, as well as give them a means to discover new content on their own.

There are a number of resources that can provide these tools for you and your students including; BetterLesson, Google, Bing, and of course our very own 19Pencils.

(CC) Extra Ketchup via Flickr – Plan today to make computer lab time go as smooth as possible.

As with the mentioned solutions for blogs, each of these resources have their advantages depending on what your need is.

BetterLesson is a fantastic resource enabling teachers to discover and share lesson plans on thousands of topics. Google and Bing of course are great resources to search the vast reaches of the internet, though sometimes getting a bit more than you bargained for.

Of course 19Pencils is our own solution providing a safe, education-centric repository of content as well as a means of saving and sharing resources. There is even widgets that enable you to share your resources on your blog.

Don’t Fear New Tools

Now is the time, before the daily ritual of class creeps back in, to take that step and reach out to a new tool you may have wanted to adopt but haven’t had the chance. Take an afternoon, grab a cup of coffee, and jump in with both feet.

You’ll be glad you checked out some of these resources! Happy Teaching. :-)

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How Is Your PLN These Days?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

(CC) cambodia4kidsorg via Flickr

So you’ve heard of a PLN and maybe you’ve established your own. If you haven’t established one maybe you’re just wondering what exactly is a PLN? Is it Private Language Notices? Pretty Loud Neighbors? Or maybe even Party Late Night!?

Although these all sound exciting, a PLN (in this context) isn’t any of those things. The PLN I’m referring to is a Personal Learning Network, which like some of those mentioned examples can actually be exciting as well. A Personal Learning Network, or PLN, is simply a network of people that you interact with and learn from. I suppose one could say your classroom is in effect a PLN, both for your students and even for yourself. If you don’t have a personal learning network in place lets explore some of the many benefits in doing so.

You Can Save Time

When you are looking for a lesson plan that covers a specific series of topics, maybe something you’ve never covered before, you may find that it’s far better to solicit input from others than to scour the far reaches of the web.  It can often save you time and if nothing else you can also get a perspective of the subject that you had not yet considered or maybe a means of covering the topic that would really engage your class. Why start from scratch.. leverage what you can where you can. Of course tweak it to your own needs, but you’ll find this can be a real life saver.

You Can Save Your Sanity

(CC) sbeez via Flickr

This may be a slight exaggeration (is it though?) but when you’ve exhausted your normal resources turning to a PLN may pleasantly surprise you.

With all of the resources available today often times you may find a query results in information almost immediately. And knowing this may be the case well, may just put your mind at ease even just a tiny bit. Now how to make it through that last hour of school.

A resource from your PLN may be a fact, a website URL or even more. You never know who or how they can really help your research.

You Can Gain A Fresh Perspective

Although this benefit isn’t immediately evident, as mentioned above with saving time, getting a different perspective from others can definitely shed a new light on any topic. Heck it may even be more fun for you and your students with some new information provided by another resource!

As much as we would all love to think that all teachers know all things, well the truth of the matter is that it’s just not true. Granted, many teachers know a great deal, and contrary to popular belief I believe many are actually Superman(woman), but for those who want to refine their background on a given topic where do they turn? To their peers? Local workshops or service days? These are all a good start but there are some far larger venues where you can tap not just the smarts from your local colleagues, but those from around the world.

Discovering Resources from Others

Here are a handful of resources that, if you haven’t already, can get you well on your way to establishing a go-to destination for discovering that last minute resource for tomorrows discussion in class.

  • Twitter: This is a must for teachers, administrators, even librarians. There is so much here to put it into a few words won’t do it justice. By searching for search terms such as #elemchat or #edchat you will just scratch the surface of individuals you should follow. Nice thing about Twitter is that participation isn’t required (though strongly encouraged, after all a PLN is all about engagement!). You can simply watch the resources and exchange of information fly by and chime in when you feel.
  • Facebook: I’m not advocating connecting with students, but rather reaching out to your peers who may also be using the social tool. This is a quick and easy way to shout out for a request for resources, etc. You may find your school district limits access so you may need to access it via their secure URL of https://www.facebook.com or access it outside of your school network.
  • Edmodo: Much like Facebook, Edmodo provides members with easy access to updates and posts from one another. Depending on the age of your students this may also provide interesting uses for them as well such as turning in homework assignments, etc.
  • BetterLesson: This service provides a constantly growing repository of lesson plans for all grades. You can connect with other teachers and leverage the resources that they’ve posted for sharing which often include printables and more.
  • 19Pencils: Although I am the Founder of this service, I do want to mention it for no other reason than it being one more resource for quickly searching and sharing resources. Members can join and when you save a resource it’s able to be discovered by others immediately. Students can access your content, from home or school, without requiring an account.

One more nice thing about establishing your PLN with any of the above is that each are completely free services. Discovering new resources and building a network should be a free service and each of these tools help to grow and share your resources.

Whether you experiment with one or none of the above the goal for any teacher should be to continue to broaden their pool of resources from which they can continue to learn. Doing so not only can help you in the classroom but sets a great example for your students to do the same!

Happy Teaching! :-)

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments