Tips and useful links to help integrate technology in classroom

One of my colleagues asked me to provide links to the site which can help educators integrate Information technology in classroom. This post is written to compile the tips and useful links for all teachers/educators who are new to this topic or want to get in touch with best resources around the net. I hope that this post would help you.

* 'Free Technology for teachers' offers free technology resources and how teachers can use them also ideas for technology integration i education.

* David Andrade is the tech guy behind this awesome blog 'Educational Technology Guy' where you can find the information on topics like as: educational technology, educational theory, educational pedagogy, as well as exploring free educational technology resources, ways to integrate technology into the classroom, professional development, project based learning, and tips and resources for new teachers.

* 'Ed tech power'

* 'U tech tips' is a blog full of tech tips and fun stuff from a technology teacher.

'Subscribe' for the weekly newsletter which would provide information about U Tech Tips.

Useful posts:

* A valuable post from 'Education World': 'Get Ready to Integrate Technology-Ten Tips'

* 'Top 10 Technology Tips for New Teachers'

* iLearn Technology provides this post: 'Top 10 Technology Tips for New Teachers'

* 'Marilyn Western's' Technology Tips for Classroom Teachers

* A blog from an educator, consultant and presenter 'The Thinking Stick'

How to empower your child's self esteem?

Healthy promotion of self esteem skill among children is very important as it can help them grow as a positive and confident personality. This article would be helpful for parents and teachers to help learn this very essential life skill for their children. There are many techniques and tips which are useful to empower and boost the self esteem skill.

Webster's dictionary defines self-esteem as "a confidence and satisfaction in oneself" and self-concept as "the mental image one has of oneself "

Self-esteem is considered to be the overall value that one places on oneself as a person (Harter, 1989), whereas self-concept is viewed as the body of self-knowledge that individuals possess about themselves (Rosenberg, 1986).

When parents and teachers of young children talk about the need for good self-esteem, they usually mean that children should have "good feelings" about themselves. With young children, self-esteem refers to the extent to which they expect to be accepted and valued by the adults and peers who are important to them. During their early years, young children's self-esteem is based largely on their perceptions of how the important adults in their lives judge them. The extent to which children believe they have the characteristics valued by the important adults and peers in their lives figures greatly in the development of self-esteem. For example, in families and communities that value athletic ability highly, children who excel in athletics are likely to have a high level of self-esteem, whereas children who are less athletic or who are criticized as being physically inept or clumsy are likely to suffer from low self-esteem.

Children and teenagers with low self esteem will display a variety of traits, including:

- Being easily influenced by advertising or others.
- Avoiding new challenges for fear of failure.
- Becoming frustrated easily by setbacks.
- Blaming others when activities are unsuccessful.
- Disbelieving that (s)he has any talents or special abilities.
- Feeling unloved.

Children and teenagers with a high level of self esteem and strong feelings of self worth will also display stereotypical traits, such as:
- Welcoming new challenges.
- Tolerating frustration.
- Taking responsibility for unsuccessful ventures.
- Recognising and sharing his/her talents and special abilities.
- Feeling loved, and loving others in return.

While many children develop self esteem as they grow, for some children self esteem must be nurtured and tended. Parents and teachers can help the children develop this life skill by adopting few simple tips and techniques. Parents are at the front line of promoting children's self esteem, and while often their opinion is enough to make even the littlest chest swell with pride.

Be loving with your child, giving hugs and kisses regardless of achievements.
Help your child set realistic, attainable goals.
Praise your child for the effort, not for the outcome.
Avoid criticising your child's performance at a given task, and instead praise his/her enthusiasm or imagination.
Encourage your child to engage in activities due to interest, not ability.
Do not tolerate self criticism from your child. Help him/her focus on positive points.
Lead by example. Do not criticise yourself in front of your children.
Foster a caring environment at home by dispelling sibling rivalry.

Sources: Developing Self Esteem

Debbie Mandal at 'Bella Online' who si a stress management editor suggests these tips to boost child's self esteem:

* Exercise: Children need to be active to relieve stress hormones and sharpen learning ability which improves by 20% after exercise. Athletics, teams, dance classes and one-on-one sports training create empowerment by literally strengthening both the body and the mind.

* Healthy eating: If you want children to think highly of themselves, make sure that they eat quality foods, not junk. Food and mood are connected. A rainbow array of fruits and vegetables create sunny dispositions. Lean proteins promote academic success. Whole grains help manage stress.

* Guiding children to pick a creative hobby: Nurture their creativity. Nothing boosts self-esteem like developing a creative gift which might range from cooking and constructing to singing and writing. Through creativity children can tangibly identify and observe their uniqueness. “Look what I did.”

* Carving out private time: Children are overscheduled and over-stimulated. They need quality, private time to explore and find their own way to reset their natural rhythm. You don’t have to constantly amuse them when they say, “I’m bored.”

* Give them responsibilities and chores: Even if you have a nanny or a housekeeper, children need to do chores. Contributing to the household gives them structure and accountability which creates personal pride. Small children can help set the table or pick up their toys.

* Humor: Laughter breaks negativity instantly. Show your children how to reduce and reinterpret those “little disasters” with a comic eye. Children who have a sense of humor are magnets for positive social relationships.


Related articles: How Can We Strengthen Children's Self-Esteem?

Hobbies, Interests and Activities helping children with ADD

It is a common feeling of parents and teachers who have ADD/ADHD children, that keeping them busy is a good solution for them. But it is also difficult to let them focus on some activities for long time, so it is our duty as a parent or teacher to look for activities or interests, which can help develop their skills.

Nearly all principals (99 percent) and teachers (97 percent) surveyed feel that it is important for ALL students to participate in some extracurricular activities or clubs.

Extracurricular activities including hobbies and interests are beneficial for children with ADD. The sports they play, the hobbies they develop, the camps they attend all help to round out children, to make them more than merely persons who have difficulty paying attention in school.

Although the term extracurricular suggests something that is beyond school, these activities are an integral part of the learning process. Frequently such activities can be employed to enhance attention and to reinforce desired behavior.

Hobbies and Special Talents/Interests for Children with ADD

One of the wonderful things about hobbies is that children and adolescents can become "experts." This is particularly beneficial for students with ADD. Often the feedback they receive from parents, teachers, and classmates is negative. Coupled with their difficulty in establishing meaningful social relationships, this negative feedback can lower their self-esteem. By developing a hobby they can acquire knowledge and skills for which they are perceived as competent, as an "expert" in one particular area of interest.

Hobbies don't just emerge, they must be fostered. Parents must expose their children to a wide variety of experiences and reinforce their interests. In addition to trips to the zoo, museums, aquariums, historical sites, and the like, parents can foster hobbies by enrolling children in courses related to their interests or providing them with unusual experiences. Many communities have arts and crafts classes, music classes, gymnastics, and so forth. Museums and philharmonic orchestras frequently have programs specifically geared towards youngsters. Many of these are appropriate for children with ADD because they are relatively short and are only scheduled on a weekly basis, hence the novelty of the activity tends to capture their attention. As with sports and clubs, you need to assess the expectation of the teachers of these classes and the number of students who participate.

Beyond these hobbies there are many more to be discovered if you have the time and inclination to explore. Children have developed interests in such activities as illustrating, Morse code, and miniature furniture. Collections in stamps, coins, baseball cards, and rocks capture the imagination of many children. The list is endless. All that is necessary is enthusiasm and time. It may take a while before you find a hobby that truly interests your child, so don't give up. It is exciting to see a child develop a hobby to a point where others solicit their advice. We recall the look of pride on one youngster's face when an adult asked him about the value of a particular baseball card. He seemed amazed and proud that he knew more about this topic than even his teacher. A hobby can develop a unique competence that is often hard to find in school or extracurricular activities.

If you find it impossible to come up with a hobby that is of interest to your child you may want to ask her teacher. There are many different activities that children engage in during a school day. Perhaps the teacher has noticed your child's particular interest in one of them, one in which she has demonstrated some competence. Also check with the special subject teachers, that is, art, music, physical education, and computers. Their expertise in a particular field may enable them to identify some activity that could lead to further exploration. Although it is not critical that your child have a hobby, it can do wonders for her self-esteem.

Perhaps even more important than encouraging these types of activities is the nurturing of a special talent a child may possess. Because of the behavioral problems associated with ADD, it may be difficult for parents to identify a special talent. You might solicit the input of teachers or, if your child has been enrolled in classes such as art, gymnastics, or the like, you might inquire about exploring higher level or enrichment courses in an area in which your child demonstrates particular talent. For example, we know of a child who has been diagnosed as having ADD and has considerable difficulty staying on task in school. He happened to be enrolled in a weekend class that dealt with the environment, during which the instructor noticed a particular talent in science. The instructor informed the parents and the child has been enrolled in a number of classes outside of the school that reinforce this particular ability. Additionally, his parents make frequent trips to the local science museum, read books related to science to him, and have hired a science teacher to work with him one hour per week to expand upon his interest and talents. Over the years, this special talent has manifested itself in many ways and he has become extremely competent, some would say "gifted," in this important area of the curriculum. It is with a tremendous sense of pride that he answers the questions of adults, knowing that they seek him out for his special talent. There are other examples in the arts, music, technology, and sports that children and adolescents with ADD have demonstrated special talents.

The common thread through these examples is the commitment of the parents. It takes an extraordinary amount of time and energy to travel to special places, to seek special events, to balance the special talent with other activities, but it is necessary if the talents are to emerge. We know a youngster who is an exceptionally good gymnast. She has far exceeded the skills level of her local gymnastic class so her parents drive her (three times per week) to a special gymnastic academy in order for her to further develop this talent. It would be easier to ignore such a talent, especially since her behavioral disorders related to ADD continue to cause concerns at school. However, the parents' willingness and ability to continue having this extra training has enabled this youngster to excel, and others have come to view her as extremely talented in this area and treat her with awe. This attention can go a long way when she is reprimanded for being fidgety in school.

Not all children with ADD have special talents. In reality, not many of us have such gifts. However, if talents are present they should be encouraged and enhanced. A child should never be pressured or forced to excel. Typically, if you expose your child to a wide variety of activities at an early age she will have many opportunities for hobbies to develop. If in your opinion and that of professionals involved in the activity your child is deemed to have a special talent, then we encourage you to pursue it.

Article is experts from:
"From Keys to Parenting a Child with Attention Deficit Disorders" by Barry E. McNamara, Ed.D. & Francine J. McNamara, M.S.W., C.S.W.

Source link: family education

What Is "Vision therapy" And How It Can Help in Visual Problems?

If your child is struggling to read or finding it difficult to remain on task, the cause may be an undetected vision problem, even if your child's eyesight is 20/20 and he's passed a routine eye exam.

Current research shows that about 20% of school-aged children have undetected vision problems which are hindering their school performance. Many of these children have passed their school's vision screening, which is only designed to check children's distance vision as measured by the 20/20 line on the eye chart.

Parents and teachers often have difficulty recognizing some visual problems because children don't necessarily know how or what they're supposed to be seeing, so it is the duty of teachers or parents to learn 'how to detect early visual problems of your child?'. Early detection can save years of struggling. We can help our child by identifying the underlying vision deficits that are hindering the child’s ability to perform at his or her potential. "Vision Therapy" is the process which can help resolve vision problems without any medication or surgical help.
As this term 'vision therapy'is new to us, so this post would help you understand 'what is vision therapy and why is is adviced?'

There are many visual skills which are important for academic success. One of the least important skills is termed visual acuity (clarity, sharpness). This is the so-called 20/20, 20/400, etc., eyesight. All that is meant by the notation 20/20 is that a person is capable of seeing clearly at a distance of twenty feet. Unfortunately, how well a child sees at twenty feet has little to do with how his vision functions at the reading and learning distance -- aproximately eleven to sixteen inches from the face. There are many other important visual skills that might not be developed even though visual acuity at distance is normal.

Vision therapy

It is a type of physical therapy for the eyes and brain. A highly effective non-surgical treatment for many common visual problems such as lazy eye, crossed eyes, double vision, convergence insufficiency and some reading and learning disabilities. Many patients who have been told, "it's too late," or "you'll have to learn to live with it" have benefited from vision therapy.

In the case of learning disabilities, vision therapy is specifically directed toward resolving visual problems which interfere with reading, learning and educational instruction.

Optometrists do not claim that vision therapy is a direct treatment for learning disabilities.

Vision therapy is:

- a progressive program of vision "exercises" or procedures;
- performed under doctor supervision;
- individualized to fit the visual needs of each patient;
- generally conducted in-office, in once or twice weekly sessions of 30 minutes to one hour;
- sometimes supplemented with procedures done at home between office visits ("homework");

(depending on the case) prescribed to --
- help patients develop or improve fundamental visual skills and abilities;
- improve visual comfort, ease, and efficiency;
- change how a patient processes or interprets visual information.

Vision Therapy Is Not Just Eye Exercise

Vision Therapy is not to be confused with any self-directed self-help program of eye exercises which is or has been marketed to the public. Vision Therapy is supervised by optometric vision care professionals and many types of specialized and/or medical devices are used in Vision Therapy programs,
such as:
- prescription lenses (regulated medical devices);
- therapeutic lenses (regulated medical devices);
- prisms (regulated medical devices);
- optical filters;
- eye patches or occluders
- electronic targets with timing mechanisms;
- computer software;
- vestibular (balance) equipment
- visual-motor-sensory integration training devices

The first step in any Vision Therapy program is a comprehensive vision examination. Following a thorough evaluation, a qualified vision care professional can advise the candidate as to whether Vision Therapy would be appropriate treatment.

To get more information: Vision therapy.org

Other articles on vision:
From: Optometric Extension Program Foundation

Free and helpful Resources:

* The Children's Vision Information Network is created to raise public awareness about potential vision problems in children. The goal of this website is to educate parents and teachers about frequently overlooked vision problems in the hopes of helping those children who struggle unnecessarily because of undiagnosed vision disorders.

Link: The Children's Vision

- This checklist shows common symptoms children with hidden vision problems can exhibit. It is an excellent screening tool to evaluate if your child is at-risk for vision-based learning or attention problems.
Sypmptoms checklist


* Child and family eyes

* Important information about why your child may be struggling: Vision and reading

Lean how the world actually works at "How stuff works?"-

It is exciting to learn new things and I believe that learning never ends. Being an educator I learn a lot from my students also. Internet has done a great favour for everyone, by providing a wealth of information by a click of mouse. Now you talk about dictionary or encyclopedia or news, everything is in your hands ( a click away).

At " How Stuff Works", you would feel like exploring the world in an easy and interactive way. Parents, teachers and students can equally get useful information about any topic from How stuff work?.

Let's see what you can find there:

From car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between, HowStuffWorks has answered it. You can find comprehensive articles, helpful graphics and informative videos on every topic.

On HowStuffWorks, you can also find consumer opinions and exclusive access to independent expert ratings and reviews from the trusted editors at Consumer Guide -- all of the information you need to make a purchasing decisions ¬in just a few clicks.

Mission:
“Demystify the world and do it in a simple, clear-cut way that anyone can understand"
Achievements:
HowStuffWorks has won multiple Webby awards, was among Time Magazine's "25 Web Sites We Can't Live Without" in 2006 and 2007, and has been one of PC Magazine's "Top 100 Web Sites" four times, including in 2007. Recently, HowStuffWorks became part of the Discovery Communications family, in a merger that will make HowStuffWorks the cornerstone of Discovery’s digital platform and ultimately create a fully multimedia version of an encyclopedia, with content and video that will answer virtually any question an Internet user might have. A HowStuffWorks program on the Discovery Channel is currently in the works.

HowStuffWorks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Communications, is the award-winning source of credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works.
This site was founded by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain in 1998.


To get newsletter from the site:

How stuff work?

Related post:

How things work?

Note taking techniques

These tips and techniques are very useful as they are suggested from known College or Universities or their teachers. Proper note taking can help you in getting good grades. So keep this tips and techniques in mind either you are a student or teacher. Because these are equally useful for both.

These tips are provided from "Academic Tips.org":

Note Taking Techniques
"The most comprehensive note taking systems require attention on your part. You must be alert enough in class to take legible, meaningful notes. You can't rely on "writing everything down" because a lot of information in a given lecture won't help you actually learn the material. If you have problems determining the specific relevant points in a particular class, you can always ask the professor to clarify them for you.

More free interactive kindergarten resources

Crickweb.co.uk is one of those sites which offer  free interactive resources and activities for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Subjects including: Maths, English, Science, History, Geography, R.E., D.T., I.C.T.

Explaination of key stages:

There are three education stages in the U.K. covering the following ages;
- Early Years/Foundation Stage for 4 to 5 year olds.
- Key Stage 1 for 6 to 7 year olds.
- Key Stage 2 for 8 to 11 year olds.

What this site offers?

* 156 free to use educational interactive resources for Primary Schools.
* 15 free to use fun games for children aged 4 - 11.
* 100 web links to other free interactive, image and software resources.

More page links from the site:
*14 Early Years interactive resources for Primary or Infant Schools.

"Topic Box"- A good resource for teachers!

This site is for primary school teachers. A lot of FREE resources which may help you in planning. Site also provides you with best available educational resources.

To my opinion a very easy to browse, useful and well designed resource for teachers.
You may start your search by selecting for your subject. Site links according the subject are selected very wisely and description helps to chose it for class room or teacher's personal use.

Link: browse the subjects

To get TopicBox newsletter: Subscribe link

I searched the site to see if they can help in planning for Islam subject and I was really amazed to see lot of informative material at this link. They provide a very interactive style link bos from where you can decide what topics you want to look for. You are then taken to that link or site : Religion-Islam

* Resources for foundation stage: Foundation stage
* Math links
*

"Teaching ideas"- A free resource for primary teachers!

There is no end of creativity and innovation and with sharing we learn a lot more. Teaching profession is also full of innovative activities if you are dedicated teacher and want to produce creativity in your teaching, class room presentation etc.
Teaching idea.co.uk contains lesson ideas, activities and resources, and they're all FREE to use in classrooms for primary teachers.


* Part of the site "Display Photos" has lots of photos of classroom display. I searched for maths and found this idea:

Link to the page: Facigng picture shows the idea of ordering numbers


Teaching Forum has 267 members, where you can read other teachers ideas, share yours, but you have to register there. This forum is FREE to sign up. There are many useful ideas, links and resources at the forum.

* More teaching ideas contains assembly ideas, display photos, classroom management tips, and lots of other really useful ideas and resources for teachers.

* At Site map link you can search for subject based link of page. And every page brings a lot of ideas.

How things work?

I would be reviewing here some sites which may be interesting and useful for children and teachers as well, about "How things work?".


1-This link is for computer lovers:

This site provides you with computer hardware, computer software, internet and lots of other related stuff information. You may get all the necessary information you may require to know how things work?
Site link: How stuff works
You may get explainations about these topics at the site.
. Auto
• Business & Money
• Communication
• Computer
• Electronics
• Entertainment
• Food & Recipes
• Health
• Home & Garden
• People
• Science
• Travel

It's a good idea to sign up for their weekly newsletter, which is an easiest way to keep up with all the stuff going on in the world. You may select the topic you like to know about from a given list.

* Get newsletter
* Reference link takes you to the page, where you can get informations about: Geography, History, Humanities, Industry & Technology, Life Science, Physical Science & Math, Recreation, Social Science.


2- The MadSci Network is a site, where people can ask questions and learn more about the world around them. It has evolved into an interactive science teaching and community outreach tool, staffed and maintained by volunteer scientists and engineers from around the world.

The MadSci Network made its debut in September of 1995 as part of Washington University's, Young Scientist Program, a student-run organization dedicating to improving science literacy among K-12 students in St. Louis.
The MadSci Network fields questions in 26 different subjects, covering topics in astronomy, the biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, engineering, and physics. In 1999 alone, more than 900 scientists volunteered their time to answer more than 25,000 questions from K-12 students and the general public.

Main focus has been their free Ask-An-Expert service, which receives 90-150 questions a day from visitors in the U.S. or as far away as Malaysia, Chile and even Antarctica. The people asking questions are as young as 4 years to as old as 88 years of age. Nearly 800 scientists, also globally distributed, provide answers to your questions. The interactions with K-12 students work advantageously, both for the purposes of science education, and for the purpose of increasing their computer literacy.
More about the site: Introduction
The MadSci site has received notoriety from organizations including the U.S. Department of Education, Science magazine, New Scientist, and the BBC.
If you have an email address, access to the WWW and an interest in telling others about the wonders of science, then join the team.
Information and an online sign-up form live at: Join here

3- Ask Dr. Universe is a site where Dr. Universe tackles all questions, experts in just about everything. From global warming to neural networks. From Jane Austen to soil nematodes. From cow belching to quasars. You can ask questions at any topic, and search the site for many facts of life.

Ask Dr. Universe is brought to you by University Relations at Washington State University and is made possible through generous support from Microsoft Corporation.

4- Stanford University presents "Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing"(AIM) is a continuous learning community of industrial professionals, academics, and students passionate about the making of real things that improve people's lives. It is a cooperative venture among Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, School of Engineering, and member industrial firms.

"(AIM) Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing"has developed an introductory website for kids and adults showing how various items are made. It covers over 40 different products and manufacturing processes, and includes almost 4 hours of manufacturing video. It is targeted towards non-engineers and engineers alike. Think of it as your own private online factory tour, or a virtual factory tour, if you wish."

Includes products like candy, cars, airplanes, or bottles - or if you've been interested in manufacturing processes, like forging, casting, or injection molding, then this is the place to search.

AIM site link

Sign up for AIM e-mail list at the site home page.

5- How products are made? explains and details the manufacturing process of a wide variety of products, from daily household items to complicated electronic equipment and heavy machinery. The site provides step by step descriptions of the assembly and the manufacturing process (complemented with illustrations and diagrams) Each product also has related information such as the background, how the item works, who invented the product, raw materials that were used, product applications, by-products that are generated, possible future developments, quality control procedures, etc.

For example, you can find here descriptions of Air Bag, Air Conditioner, Artificial Snow, Automobile, Battery, Blue Jeans, Chewing Gum, Coin, Compact Disc, Credit Card, DVD Player, Fireworks, Hologram, Jet Engine, Laser Pointer, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Nuclear Submarine, Paint, Popcorn, Refrigerator, Telephone, Television, Temporary Tattoo, Vaccine, Vacuum Cleaner or Watch.

This searchable site is suited for a general audience and the descriptive language of this reference material is easy to understand and to follow. So go ahead we invite you to learn about How Products Are Made!
There is a list from A to Z catagory, but if you find it difficult to search for your product, there is a search box at the home page, where you can enter the product name and click "Go" to get the instant results. There are also some inventors biographies which might be interesting to read.

Site link: How products are made?

Review: "Random acts of kindness"-inspiring you to practice kindness!

The Random Acts of Kindness provides free educational and community ideas, guidance, and other resources to kindness participants.

About the foundation: As people tap into their own generous human spirit and share kindness with one another, they discover for themselves the power of kindness to effect positive change. When kindness is expressed, healthy relationships are created, community connections are nourished, and people are inspired to pass kindness on.

Established in 1995 as a nonprofit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed to spreading kindness. We provide a wide variety of materials on our website, including activity ideas, lesson plans, project plans, teacher's guide, project planning guide, publicity guide, and workplace resources on our website at http://www.actsofkindness.org/ all free of charge.

The Foundation has no religious or organizational affiliations; we encourage the practice of kindness in all sectors of society.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement, an organization that includes various nations. People in these countries promote kindness within their countries' borders and are creating a global network of kindness and compassion.

As people from different cultures and from all walks of life are joining to spread kindness, they are creating a powerful, synergistic action throughout the world.

Download link: FREE kindness stuff

Becoming a member is easy and FREE.

Another exciting service site offers free is that you can create your own kindness site. The purpose of the site would be to share your kindness activity or project with other people.

Link to start your own kindness site, but you have to register first to do it: Start your own web site

Review: "Dr.toy's Guide" --dealing in educational toys and products!

The Institute for Childhood Resources, a not-for-profit organization has created this award winning site.

"Dr.Toy's Guide" is called world's first website to provide information on the best in toys and educational products, offers year-round, award-winning toy and children's product information plus timely articles, useful resources, links and much more. These include toys, dolls, games, puzzles, books, software, CDs, audio and video discs and tapes, creative materials, construction toys etc.

Behind the scene: The person or expert behind the site is "Stevanne Auerbach, PhD"

More about Dr.Toy:
Dr. Auerbach, an established speaker, consultant, and author, is trained in child psychology, education, special education, and child development. Dr. Auerbach has a well-earned title, "Dr. Toy", dating to her first assignment with "Creative Playthings" (1968) where she developed its first education marketing program

Dr. Toy, Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, has been for many years one of the nation's and world’s leading experts on play, toys, and children's products. With 30 years of direct experience, Dr. Auerbach includes educationally oriented, developmental and skill building products from the best large and small companies in her four annual award programs. Many parents, teachers and toy buyers use Dr. Toy’s guidance in making selections.

Dr. Toy has written 15 books and many dozens of articles about play and toys for national and regional magazines and newspapers, has been featured as an expert in articles by others, and has been a featured guest on radio and television programs throughout the country and outside of the USA.

* Dr. Toy's Tips on Selecting Toys and Other Children's Products
* You can also ask any question relating kids toys at thisLink
* Enter your e-mail at provided box and get ready to receive their newsletter at your inbox. Click here

Some of the Dr. Toy's favourite sites

Get the answer of your questions at "WikiAnswers"

Everybody have some questions at some times, and people who have internet are lucky to get the answers by just writing their questions in the search box and clicking it. Within seconds you are taken to hundreds and evern thousands of relevant sites, where the topic is discussed.

I use the google search engine for the purpose and despite of the fact that it takes hours to check different links for proper answer of my inquiry, I get the answer of my inquiry. But there are some helping sites at the net where you can save your time by just submitting your question and getting specific result within seconds.

WikiAnswers is one of the site, where people from all walks of life share their knowledge. This site is equally helpful for teachers, and students.

Some facts about the site:
* 346,772 free members are now working on 1,001,250 questions.
* According to analysis using ComScore data, WikiAnswers is second-fastest growing domain of the top 1,500 Web domains. For the first nine months of this year, WikiAnswers unique monthly visitor count in the U.S. has grown 317%, to over four million.

* According to a very recent report, WikiAnswers, has reached one million questions.
* To date, WikiAnswers currently contains over 2,100 categories of questions.

Mission of the site:

"Their mission is to grow a collaborative answers resource. In WikiAnswers, anyone, anywhere, is encouraged to ask a question on any topic and get a cooperatively written human-generated answer. We believe that two heads truly are better than one, and together we can provide fuller, richer answers.

Everyone has knowledge to share, whether it's about health insurance, digital cameras or the meaning of life. Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute their expertise with the world, and on WikiAnswers that opportunity is free and available for the curious to explore."

* Speciality of WikiAnswers is about creating a collaborative directory of questions and answers. They encourage everyone to add to and improve each other's answers instead of asking and answering the same questions over and over again.

* Anybody can contribute, any knowledge, to help answer other people's questions

To start:

1. Sign up and be recognized for your expertise. Sign up link

2. Ask a question on anything you're curious about. Ask a question link

3. Answer a question with your relevant, accurate knowledge of the topic. Answer a question link

4. Improve others' answers if you have relevant, accurate information to add. Improve others answers

Ask a question right now via this search box!

Ask a question:

Few useful resources for primary teachers!

These are few links where you can get a lot of resources for your primary level subjects. All the information, work sheets or teaching material are FREE to use.

1-Primary Resources

Primary Resources offers free worksheets, lesson plans and teaching ideas for primary and elementary teachers.
Subjects covered: Maths, English, Science, History, Religious Education, Geography, Art, ICT

It has loads of brilliant information, worksheets, and homework ideas on each National Curriculum subject, appropriate for both key stages.
The files are downloadable as Adobe Acrobat PDF files and can be printed off for FREE!
For Numeracy or Literacy syllabus and work sheeets it is must see site.




2- Top Marks is aimed specifically at pupils, teachers and parents.

Although they bias their resources to UK curriculum requirements, but they are appreciated globally as well. All sites featuring on Topmarks are carefully reviewed by teachers.
This is a free to use site, with the aim to provide:

* Easy access to the best educational web sites.
* For Teachers to use the web in the classroom.
* For Parents to support the education of their children.
Launched in September 1998, and was conceived by Sue Spolton, a primary school teacher and Chris Spolton who designs the site.

*At parents resource section, you can find articles written by practising teachers designed to help with the education of your child. Topics are:
Sand & Water Play, Learning Numbers, Learning Words, Homework Help, Learning to Read, Starting Secondary School.

*Primary Classroom Resources section includes: Maths, English, Science, Other Subjects, Maths Games, Victorian Toys.

3- Teach it
Launched in 1999,by English teacher Siobhain Archer, Teachit is a trusted education resource, a free online library of learning resources,used by thousands of teachers nationwide.

Specialising in English, Drama and Media Studies from primary to post-16, the online Teachit library offers 9,565 pages of classroom materials, schemes of work, lesson plans and teaching tools, all created by working teachers

Link: Teach it

*Teaching Ideas section
gives you teaching tips from the experts, essential news, and resources.

4- Crick Web provides Free interactive resources and activities for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Subjects including:
Maths, English, Science, History, Geography, R.E., D.T., I.C.T.
(Three education stages in the U.K. covering the following ages;
Early Years/Foundation Stage for 4 to 5 year olds.
Key Stage 1 for 6 to 7 year olds.
Key Stage 2 for 8 to 11 year olds.)

What they are offering:
* 142 free to use educational interactive resources for Primary Schools.

* 12 free to use fun games for children aged 4 - 11.

* 70 web links to other free interactive, image and software resources.
(Highest number of daily visitors : 17,060 on 16th October)

Note: More sites and resources would be added as I get them.