Useful ELA Websites and Blogs

100 Colors, 100 Writings, 100 Days - Observer - Fantastic idea for writing on a daily basis...paint chip colors are used to inspire short daily writing pieces.  Teachers have altered this assignment for boys by replacing the paint chips with team logos/nicknames. This concept is very interesting and could peak your students' interest in daily writing.
www.atomiclearning.com/k12/storytellingindex.shtml - The Atomic Learning Video Storytelling Guide - This site offers a preview of their for-purchase Video Storytelling Guide.  Basic shots and video composition rules are covered.  Short video clips show examples.  Good basics of Video Storytelling that high school students can read for themselves, or teachers can discuss and illustrate with younger students.
ali.apple.com/als/2ndmult/projects/3024.html - Digital Storytelling: Tell Me a Story - This site examines the processes and procedures for developing a curriculum unit on storytelling at upper levels.
www.digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu - Digital Storytelling @ University of Houston - Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories.  As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view.  However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music.  Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes.
www.umass.edu/wmwp/DigitalStorytelling/Digital%20Storytelling%20Main%20Page.htm - Digital Storytelling: Using Technology to Tell Stories - This site is intended for teachers of young writers who want to use technology to enhance personal narrative writing.  The author links to the purposes for telling stories, how to use basic technology to create simple stories, and evaluating products.  He also provides some examples of lesson plans. 
www.googlelittrips.org - Google Lit Trips - This site is an experiment in teaching great literature in a very different way.  Using Google Earth, students discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place...and so much more. Examples exist for all grade spans.
www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm - Internet 4 Classrooms - This website offers multiple portals to online opportunities in all grade levels.  Many of the links will allow students and parents to practice particular skills from home via the internet.  
www.izzit.org - IZZIT - This site provides compelling educational DVDs and current events lessons that encourage students to think critically.  The resources are designed to engage even our most struggling readers.  Sign up is free for educators in grades 4-12 and includes one free DVD per year.
librivox.org/ - LibriVox - This site provides audio and text files of literature that is part of the public domain.  MP3 files and text files can be downloaded for students to use while they read.  LibriVox is also looking for volunteer readers to record additional MP3 files as books are added to the public domain.  Great opportunity for teachers, students, and parents...
www.projectwritemsu.wikispaces.com - Project WRITE Wikispace - Project WRITE, an MDE Grant with a cohort of forty teachers from mid-Michigan, whose purpose is to improve adolescent literacy through the use of best practices with a special emphasis on adapting those practices to current technology that is enticing to students, provides resources and professional development opportunities for ELA teachers.
www.read.gov - Read.gov, from the Libary of Congress - This website is a portal to free online reading resources for children, teens, and adults.  It features online versions of out-of-copyright books for children.  The website has an e-reader that allows students to experience these books online, but with some of the features of a regular book such as page turning.
www.spellingcity.com - Spelling City - This website allows students, parents, and teachers enter their own unique spelling words for practice, games, and tests.  The program grades the students' work automatically and can be collected by teachers to enter into their grade book.  Check out the pre-loaded word lists.
www.creatingthe21stcentury.org/Intro5-Why-storytelling.html - Storytelling: Passport to the 21st Century - This article discusses the purposes of storytelling and its potential benefits to the world of work and society.   Be sure to read at least the first three pages (navigation arrows are at the bottom).  Food for thought for teachers preparing students for jobs we haven't even invented yet.
www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/tellinglinks.html#Digital%20Storytelling  - Storytelling Resources - A large collection of links to information about storytelling, examples, activities, etc.  Enjoy surfing this site! 
tweentribune.com/join - Tween Tribune - Engage, inform, and educate your students with TweenTribune.  TweenTribune lets students interact with the news, while fulfilling requirements for language arts, computer skills, and other classes.  Register your class for free and follow TweenTribune on Facebook.
www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=244 - Using Technology to Support Literacy - Scholastic.com provides a series of short one-pagers that discuss a variety of ways to use technology with students.  Links are provided for storytelling student examples.