Soon you will be graduating, getting ready to apply your new skills. Our profession will do well with the new ideas and fresh outlook you will provide.

As educators ourselves, we all started out where you are now. Over the last several months you’ve worked hard. You’ve now gained a better understanding of curriculum, teaching strategies, learning styles, polices and the profession as a whole.

However, let’s not forget the one thing you’ve done all year: networked.

We know all too well the importance of establishing effective networks.

While at the Faculty you have met many professionals from the field: instructors, school administrators, numerous teachers and of course, your fellow teacher candidates.

Here’s the problem:

Once you graduate, you may no longer have contact with the connections made while at your Faculty. In fact, you may no longer have access to your faculty email once you graduate. You do not want to lose the connections you have made. Continuing with that network is paramount.

Here’s the solution:

Register with Cube for Teachers – it’s free!

Cube for Teachers is a FREE educational collaborative bookmarking community created exclusively for Ontario teachers. Here, teachers can share, search and store educational web links from around the world and tie them to Ontario curriculum. As well, Cube for Teachers provides teachers with a platform to form their own personal groups (PLN’s) to foster ongoing discussions, support, network, etc.

Over the last few months, there has been an explosion of teacher candidates registering in The Cube. Candidates are forming networks while still at the Faculty and will continue to expand those networks once they graduate.  Click here to read more about Cube Groups.

Here’s the important piece:

To join, you must register while you still have access to your faculty email. This email is only required to register and you may change your email once registered.

If you wait and no longer have your faculty email, you will not gain access until you have secured employment with an Ontario K-12 educational institution.

Don’t get left behind. Register today and start collaborating with teachers throughout Ontario!

Sincerely,

The Administrative Team
www.cubeforteachers.com

Looking for effective resources and support materials should not be an ongoing game of treasure hunt.  As a teacher I can speak for all of us when I say that the motive behind this exhaustive search is to simply meet the needs of our valuable diverse learners.  However, as educators, our time is valuable and best spent in front of our kids, not searching the world for resources. It was because of this premise that Cube for Teachers was created.

As educators ourselves, we understand the importance and necessity for collaboration. The Cube’s philosophy was to create a platform for teachers to collectively share their favourite educational resource links into a central, organized and efficient hub. There are thousands of sites out there with amazing resources, we simply point to them from one location thanks to the ongoing collaboration of teachers like you. Providing teachers with a platform to house all of their favourite links in one location is paramount with Cube for Teachers.

Cube for Teachers is Ontario’s only curriculum-based bookmarking community made exclusively for K-12 educators – and it’s free!

As well, not only can teachers share, search and save educational links to resources, they can also create their own personal teacher “Groups” (professional learning communities) for resource sharing and ongoing discussions for ideas, support and professional development.  Collaboration and Communication: two essential skills that define 21^st Century learners.

Although there are already several thousand links inside The Cube, imagine the power if educators from across Ontario were to each share just one their most favourite educational resources!  Three minutes of work could result in a few hundred thousand links – not a bad trade-off you might say.

So what could you do as an educator?

1)   Add a link to one of your favourites resources (i.e. a lesson, video, interactive, activity, worksheet, web 2.0 tool, etc.)
2)   Spread the word amongst colleagues.

If you want to learn more about how to use The Cube, click here to visit our YouTube page.

We wish you all a successful and rewarding 2013.

Sincerely,

Susan Kwiecien,
Cube for Teachers

As over 1800 teachers across Ontario have already discovered, Cube for Teachers has quickly become the most exciting new website where Ontario teachers meet to collaborate to meet the needs of the 21st century learner.

Cube for Teachers allows teachers to search for, save, and share links to Internet resources based on the Ontario Curriculum. Teachers can use a powerful search engine to search for resources based on Grade, Subject, Course, Strand, and Expectation.

The exciting news is Cube for Teachers has recently introduced a Groups Feature!  Teachers can now form professional learning networks to which they can invite other teachers to join. Within the groups, teachers can share resources and participate in discussions on various educational topics.

To introduce teachers to the Groups Feature, we have created “Cube Communities”. These communities are groups based on a common theme. Our first Cube Communities include:

Tools and Technology for Teachers
Interactive Math Resources
Neat Science Links
Kindergarten Resources and Idea Sharing

To become part of Cube’s expanding free educational communities, simply click on the communities above.

See you in The Cube.

Sam Mercurio,
Cube for Teachers Admin
cubeadmin@cubeforteachers.com

As over 1500 teachers across the province have already discovered, Cube for Teachers allows teachers to search for, share, and save links to internet resources which will help them meet the needs of their students.

And now, Cube for Teachers has introduced a powerful new feature: Groups. Teachers across the province can now invite other teachers to form professional learning networks (PLNs) inside Cube for Teachers.

The Groups feature within Cube for Teachers can be used:

a) to share resources
b) to share teaching ideas
c) for professional development
d) as a forum for discussions on important educational topics

Various Ways Educators Can Use the Groups Feature:

1. Ontario teachers can now connect with others throughout the province on specific topics or other areas of interest.
2. School departments can collaborate on resources for various courses.
3. School administrators can invite their staff to form groups for professional development.
4. Subject Council members can share ideas, resource links and next steps.
5. Administrators can form PLNs with other administrators.
6. School Family representatives can support each other and share ideas.
7. Faculties of Education instructors can establish networks for their teacher candidates to share ideas, resource links, and support each other.
8. New teachers (NTIP) can offer support and ideas for each other.
9. Teachers can form groups to continue collaborating after an in-service.
10. The Groups Feature helps make Cube for Teachers the one-stop shop for Ontario teachers to collaborate!

Remember that The Cube is a secure community designed exclusively for Ontario educators.  Teachers can search for, share, and save links based on grade, course, strand, and expectations based on the Ontario Curriculum.

We welcome all Ontario K-12 teachers to register with Cube For Teachers and try our latest feature!

Sincerely,

The Administrative Team
www.cubeforteachers.com

Cube For Teachers is an exciting new technology that allows teachers to search for, share, and save links to valuable Internet resources. Teachers can search for topics such as Curriculum Resources that are subject specific, and Tools & Technology resources that can be used across the curriculum. Curriculum-based resources branch into two main areas: single resource links and multi-resource links.

Teachers can search for and share links to resources based on Grade, Subject, Course, Strand, and even Expectation. Resource links are ranked in popularity according to the number of teachers who have added it to their Favourites. Teachers are finding this website valuable as it is based on the Ontario Curriculum, and all links have been entered by teachers, for teachers.

Word of the website is spreading quickly. From February to May 2012, the number of registered users has doubled with several thousands of links now being shared.

So welcome, teachers from the Conference of Independent Schools. We look forward to your participation in this exciting new adventure.

Sincerely,

The Administrative Team
www.cubeforteachers.com

Teachers are using the Cube to share Curriculum Resources which are useful in specific subject areas, and Tools and Technology which are useful across all subject areas.

Here are some samples of wonderful links that have been added to Curriculum Resources:

Chemistry Resource: QR Code Periodic Table

This website has a list of QR codes for each element in the periodic table. Using a smartphone, students can scan the code for any element. They will be taken to a short video providing information about that element.

Biology / Heath & Physical Education Resource: Zygote Body

This is website allows for interactive 3D diagrams of the human body.

Math Resource: Glencoe Virtual Manipulatives

This interactive resource displays virtual manipulatives for K-8 including algebra tiles, base ten blocks, centimeter cubes, clock, connecting cubes, currency, fraction cubes and fraction tiles.

Here are some samples of fantastic links to tools that have been added to Tools & Technology:

Audio Tool: Record MP3

This website allows you to easily record from your computer and save as an MP3 file. Teachers can use this to insert audio instructions in a lesson or assignment.  Take it one step further and hyperlink it to a QR Code and place it next to those tough questions on your worksheets. Those in need of assistance can scan the QR Code and listen to your audio recording with hints, instructions, or solutions.

Quiz and Poll Tool: Poll Everywhere

This website allows you to create and store text message polls with live updates to your web browser.  A great "assessment for learning" tool.

Converting Files Tool : Zamzar

This website allows users to easily convert files from one type to another without having to install software. File types include *.doc, *.pdf and many others.

Cube for Teachers will have a booth at OAME in Kingston May 10-12. Come by and see this exciting new initiative in action!

As always, we appreciate any feedback you want to give us. Simply click on the Feedback tab inside the Cube, and let us know what you think!

And please, spread the word! Refer a friend. Let others know what a fabulous website www.cubeforteachers.com has become. The greater the number of teachers who register and contribute to the website, the more valuable it will be to you!

Sincerely,

The Administrative Team
www.cubeforteachers.com

More significantly, this website is the leading edge of what may be a paradigm shift in education. Khan Academy is an example of “flipping” the classroom. Students learn at home using the Khan Academy videos, and do homework at school with their teacher as mentor rather than lecturer. Pilot schools in California have replaced their math textbooks with computer labs.

There are many websites that may be helpful to teachers, students, and parents. But how is a teacher supposed to keep up with the resources that are available?

Our website, www.cubeforteachers.com will help teachers stay ahead of the curve. With Cube For Teachers, educators no longer have to sift through bookmarks, social media pages, or notes when searching for Internet resources. The database is organized according to the Ontario Curriculum and its powerful search engine allows teachers to search by grade, subject, strand and expectation. Become part of the revolution and invite colleagues in your professional learning network to participate. Visit www.cubeforteachers.com to register.

Released to Ontario teachers only 5 months ago, Cube for Teachers may be the solution that will help teachers through the rocky road that lies ahead. This free resource is a collaborative bookmarking community designed exclusively for Ontario teachers to share, search and store valuable web links from around the world. Tailored to the Ontario curriculum, Cube for Teachers will allow Ontario K-12 teachers to build a powerful database of resources. Become part of the revolution and invite colleagues in your professional learning network to participate. Visit www.cubeforteachers.com to register.

To learn a little more about some of the current features in Cube for Teachers, visit http://www.cubeforteachers.com/howto.php.

Originally released in October 2011, Cube for Teachers is a social bookmarking and collaborative community in which teachers can share, search for, and store, links to valuable online resources that will help them meet the needs of their students.

Any member of the Cube for Teachers community can anonymously add a favourite link to the resource bank. As more and more teachers add links, Cube for Teachers will become a one-stop-shop for Ontario teachers looking for Internet resources.

Cube for Teachers is unique and truly cutting edge technology. It brings Ontario educators together to collaborate and share resources. Why reinvent the wheel when other teachers have shared resources that they have found useful for the classroom?

Now Cube for Teachers has become even more valuable! With the addition of the Tools and Technology topic, teachers can search for tools such as Audio Tools, Collaborative Tools, Math Tools and Video Tools. Simply click on “Topic” and select “Tools and Technology”.

If you haven’t already registered, what are you waiting for? Cube for Teachers can save hours of your valuable time and enrich the experience of your students. If you are already a member, check out the new Tools and Technology topic, and start sharing links. The more teachers share their resources, the more powerful this new technology will become.

Happy Searching!

The Administrative Team

www.cubeforteachers.com

As you move out to your schools, your primary focus is on your lessons. No doubt, one of your concerns will likely be, “Where am I going to find the resources I need to do my job well?” This is an ongoing question every reflective teacher ponders. Classrooms change and students arrive with various strengths and needs. With differentiated instruction at the forefront of pedagogy, teachers are looking to expand their arsenal of resources to best help their students.

With The Cube, teachers have access to a growing number of resources to search, grab and go! Currently, The Cube breaks curriculum resources into two main areas – single resource links and multiple resource links. Both are unique search areas with resources building daily in each as teachers add their favourites. As well, there are many more topics to come in the upcoming weeks including Tools and Technology, Teaching Strategies and more.

So welcome Teacher Candidates! You are now part of The Cube community – sharing with publicly funded school board teachers already in the system! Join The Cube and share the vision. Together let’s revolutionize the way we as teachers access online resources. Collaboratively, we will build the most powerful, educational database every created. Free to all members. Simply click here to register.

We’re just getting started!  Keep an eye on the “Coming Soon” section on the dashboard for new and exciting features. Stay tuned!