Internet Safety with Professor Garfield

http://www.infinitelearninglab.org/

Internet Safety with Professor Garfield is an easy to navigate site (especially when you follow the quick start guide) with printable lessons (available under teacher's materials) on online safety, cyberbullying, fact or opinion and forms of media.  Each lesson includes a watch (video), try (game) and apply (quiz) section.   There is also a great printable parent letter that can be sent home with tips and links that parents can use at home.

Tips for integrating Internet Safety with Professor Garfield into your classroom:  Professor Garfield provides a great option to begin teaching students about Internet Safety and would be a great addition to an internet safety week.  The videos are engaging and fun, I mean who doesn't love Garfield.  Students in Grade 3 - 5 could easily navigate the site and activities online, making this a great independent or small group activity in a lab setting.  For the younger students, watch the videos on a projector and during the try and apply sections discuss and choose the answers together.  An Internet safety certificate can be printed at the end of the unit along with posters for your classroom to remind students how to stay safe online.

Welcome to Fox Teaches Tech

NetSmartz

http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm

NetSmartz teaches internet safety with engaging characters, songs, videos and interactive games.  The topics presented include knowing the rules for online useage, chat abbreviations, dangers of sharing personal information, viruses, passwords and what makes a good one, and cyber-bullying.  There are activities on this site for K-12 students and there are links for parents and teachers with information about how to use NetSmartz, real-life stories, Internet safety news, statistics and more.  

Tips for integrating NetSmartz into the classroom: NetSmartz can be presented to a large group of students using a projector and following an activity card.  Activity cards are lesson plans that include a variety of activities including worksheets, discussion questions, art projects, writing activities and cooperative learning techniques, and take about 20-30 minutes to complete.  NetSmartz is also a great site to bookmark for students in the lab and allow them to explore it independently.  There are no links to outside sites, so NetSmartz really is safe and easy to use.  Allowing students to explore NetSmartz often will help reinforce the important Internet safety skills presented.  Also be sure to check out the supplemental materials  for printable certificates, web licenses, rule posters and more.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

A.K.A. Ways to make life easier... or at least that is what 'they' say they will do.  For some memorizing shortcuts seems like just another way to waste time on the computer, and we all know that's not hard to do.  I mean ...all of those keys, so much to remember and forget...is the "long way" really so bad?!!  But, let's face it, shortcuts do perform the task required quickly and while they are definitely not for everyone, sometimes you come across one that feels like it was meant for you and really does prove to be a time saver.  So,  I have compiled a list of my friends favourite keyboard shortcuts for the Mac, in hope that you will find YOUR special shortcut, too.  Try these out!

Thanks to all those who contributed their ideas, your suggestions are appreciated!  If you have a special shortcut that you've found useful, please share it with others by commenting on this post.  For more Mac keyboard shortcuts, click here.