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October 29, 2011

Huge List of tools for innovative educaters & students 2011

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

List is driven by specific learning goals that promote critical-thinking, creativity, collaboration, and community-mindedness.

Used wisely, technology empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning. In Leonardos Laptop, Ben Shneiderman provides teachers with a powerful framework, Collect-Relate-Create-Donate (CRCD), for designing student-centered learning opportunities using computers. In particular, Shneidermans CRCD framework emphasizes the importance of the social media aspects of learning in generating creative work. Shneiderman designed the Collect-Relate-Create-Donate framework as a vehicle for preparing young people for a 21st century world where innovation, creativity, and collaboration will be more highly prized than retention and repetition.

SO before i turn towards my fav pastime i.e watching movies online iwould like to contribute here ,In order to help educators integrate technology effectively, we have compiled a list of technology tools focused on learning goals consistent with the CRCD framework. Unlike other lists that promote cool tools, yet leave teachers wondering about purposeful smart social media educational integration, our We hope you will find our list useful.

What are your Learning Goals?

  1. I want my students to be able to create web based timelines.
  2. I want my students to create web based mind maps / graphic organizers.
  3. I want my students to publish their writing online for others to read.
  4. I want real-time, online discussion with my students.
  5. I want my students to search and evaluate web sites.
  6. I want to create guided research activities for my students.
  7. I want to connect my students to other students around the world.
  8. I want my students to create online portfolios.
  9. I want my students to create books, magazines, posters, or newsletters online.
  10. I want my students to record or edit audio.
  11. I want to use an interactive whiteboard effectively with my students.
  12. I want my students to create and edit maps.
  13. I want my students to draw or create comics on the Internet.
  14. I want to create tests, quizzes, and games online.
  15. I want my students to organize, bookmark and edit their research online.
  16. I want to find or create rubrics for multimedia projects.
  17. I want to connect to other teachers to share ideas and resources.

————————————————————————————————

About me:

@GC : Social media marketing and SEO expert to promote and accentuate brands, and offer something deeper than a typical online marketing campaigns.

http://media.linkedin.com/mpr/pub/image-NbIWIcrG-oeKosaam4sIIYxcAy7Z5ATadt4QIFNDAIBnX31R/loveneet-singh.jpg

I want my students to be able to create web based timelines

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Timetoast Free tool that allows text and images in each timeline entry. Also provides an embed code for each timeline.

Example: Moon Landings

3 Easy
Ourstory Free: Students can create a personal timeline, invite others to collaborate, share & embed the final product. Intended for individual timeline, but students could create one for a historical figure. 3 Medium
Timeglider Free & Beta: Great tool, yet still in beta. Images & links for each event, timelines can be embedded. Unique feature: new events can be added to multiple timelines & timelines are printable. Outstanding interface, visually appealing to use.

Example: New York Times

3 Medium
ReadWriteThink Timeline No sign in or account needed. Extremely easy to navigate and enter events. Timelines can be printed when finished & timelines can be edited while working, but work is not saved. 3 Easy
Xtimeline Free & Beta: A permanent URL is created for each timeline. There are three privacy settings and discussion below each timeline. Unique features: events can be tagged and a source url can be provided.

Example: History of Cell Phones

3 Medium
Capzles Visually appealing, image based timeline creator. Unique Feature: Video, images, mp3, word, excel, powerpoint & pdf can be uploaded. Events can be stackedon the timeline. Timelines can be edited and shared. The most visually appealing timeline tool.

Example: Battle of Shiloh

4 Medium

I want my students to create web based mindmaps/graphic organizer

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Glinker Free mindmapping tool. Ideas can include expandable details & links to URLs. Ideas can be linked together, edited and final product includes embed code. Unique Feature: select the license type for your mindmap.

Example: Oil Supply Crisis

3 Medium
Bubbl.us Intuative mindmapping tool. Students can start creating right away without creating an account. Maps can be printed & saved with a free account. Embed code, sharing, collaboration included.

Ideas for using Bubbl.us

4 Easy
mindmeister Free account available. Visually appealing interface with extra features. Maps can be shared for collaboration, published, printed/exported as a pdf and embedded.

Example: How to Win Friends

3 Medium
Mindomo Free acount with 7 mindmaps. Maps can be public or private and password protected. Number of features include: multimedia (image, audio, youtube video), formatting & topic relationships editing & unique mindmap URL.

Example: Mindomo Tutorial

4 Medium
Text2MindMap Completely stripped down mindmapping tool with no frills. Begin with a list and then tab in ideas from the list to indicate new nodes & subnodes on the mindmap. Maps cant be saved using this tool

Example: Months of the Year

4 Easy
WiseMapping Free mindmapping tool that allows for collaborative mindmapping. Finished mindmaps are printable and exportable as pdf or image files. Key Features include:

  • Publish & share a mindmap
  • Insert a link into any map node & view a tiny screenshot of the website.
3 Medium
exploratree Free account provides pre-made, web based “Thinking Guides.” Use the categorized templates to organize ideas. All templates can be customized or an original template can be created. Projects can be shared and edited by other users.

Example: Appraisal SWOT

4 High

I want my students to publish their writing online

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Google Docs Free Google account. Create documents, presentations, spreadsheets, form or drawing. Organize into folders, publish to the web and share documents with other users. Supports existing document upload (word & powerpoint).

Example: Interesting Ways to Use an iPod Touch in the Classroom

5 Easy
Issuu Free account allows for document uploads that can be embedded. Embed presentation is in a flipbook style where documents pages can be flipped and read easily.Example: Emmett Till Lesson Plan 4 Easy
YUDU Free account allows for pdf uploads that can be embedded. Very similar to issuu.

Example: How to do 11 Techy Things in the New School Year

3 Easy
Scribd Free account allows pdf upload. New feature allows Google Documents to be directly uploaded within your scribd account. Scribd files can then be embedded.

Example: 10,000 Hour Rule Lesson

4 Easy
Calamo Free account. Similar to issuu and scribd, but allows word as well as pdf upload. Embed code provided for uploaded documents. 3 Easy
Docstoc Free account allows pdf, word, spreadsheet and powerpoint uploads. Uploaded documents are given embed code. 4 Easy
PiratePad

TypeWith.Me

EtherPad

All of these tools are clones of Etherpad (bought by Google) and offer the same functionality: live, online, collaborative writing. There is no sign up required; simply click to create a new pad, add multiple users through invite or by sharing the pad URL. Pads can then be downloaded as various file formats. 4 Easy

Iwant real-time, online discussion with my students

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
TodaysMeet Free tool allows chat rooms to be created instantly. Rooms can be: named, given specific time frame, include twitter # discussions. Quick and easy set up, but rooms are public. Try Chatzy if you need privacy 4 Easy
Chatzy Free tool allows chat rooms to be created quickly. Features Include:

  • Quick chat: invite people to join via email
  • Virtual Rooms: password protected
3 Medium
Google Moderator Students can post questions or comments to the moderated discussion. Once comments are posted, students can “vote” for the idea, or comment on a post. Comments can then be sorted based on the number of votes it received, and can be posted anonymously or require a Google account.

Example: What did you do this summer?

4 Easy
Google Docs Google Documents allows synchronous editing by multiple users on one document.

  • By default Google doc is private
  • Change by clicking
  • Make the document public
  • Allow anyone to edit
  • Distribute the URL

Example: Halloween Story

Tutorial: Google Docs in Plain English

4 Easy

I want my students to search and evaluate Web Sites

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Google Advanced Search Narrow down a search by:

  • Exact words or phrase
  • Including additional terms
  • Excluding terms
  • Choosing the file type (pdf, ppt)
  • Search within a specific domain
  • Choose where search terms are located within a website
  • Other parameters

EdTechTeacher Tutorial: Google Advanced Search

5 Medium
Google Timeline

(Located in the left hand column after a Google search has been conducted.)

Search visualized into a timeline based on the dates related to the search term. Timeline is interactive and the search term can be explored down to a specific year. Timeline is great for understanding where a topic fits into a bigger historical picture.

Example: Jackie Robinson Timeline

5 Easy
RefSeek Academic search engine that makes academic information easier to access than typical search engines. Refseek cuts down on the overload of non-academic search results by eliminating sponsored links and commercial search results.

Features include:

  • Search web
  • Search documents
  • Related search terms provided
  • Search within a site for more detailed search results

Example: Flowers Search (free of advertisements)

5 Easy
Sweet Search Search engine for students that only uses 35,000 sites. Spam sites and sites lacking academic rigor are excluded. Also, older sites that are still relevant will not be buried in the search results.

Key Features:

  • Search terms can be further explored with Yo Link by searching for a specific term within a search. Specific search results can be shared directly to Google docs.
  • Sweet Search 4 Me: search engine designed specifically for younger students.

Example: World War Two

5 Easy
Wolfram Alpha WolframAlpha is a unique, web based computation engine. The results differ in that the search results will be data driven. Whereas a Google search will provide links to endless information, this search engine will provide data. This search tools is an outstanding resource for math and science research. Provides “Examples by Topic” with tips on how to use the search engine across disciplines.

Example: United States vs. Russia - Population

5 Medium
Wayback Machine A unique search tool that allows students to search the history of the internet. By searching a specific website or URL, students can view the changes over time and how the website has progress and changed. This tool is helpful with identifying the validity of a site in question.

Example: Boston Globe

3 Easy
Kathy Schrock’s Critical Evaluation Surveys Kathy Schrock provides a series of helpful website evaluation questions designed for different grade levels: Elementary School, Middle School, Secondary School. These were last updated in February 2009

Example: Secondary School Level

4 Easy
NoodleTools Noodle Tools provides a range of free and subscription-based web search and annotation tools. The free “Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need” tool helps students define topics, select search tools, and search effectively. 4 Easy

Iwant tocreate guided research activities for my students

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Google Customized Search Engine (CSE) Requires a Google account to make a customized search engine. Create a specific and narrowed down search engine and control what websites will be included in the search results.

Key Features:

  • CSE is saved and can be edited later.
  • CSE generates a link that students can visit to conduct a custome search.
  • CSE generates an embed code for a blog or website.

Example: Expanding Your Horizons

5 Medium
QuestGarden WebQuests are structured Internet research exercises that lead students to create an educational product. They provide a simple structure for student inquiry on the Web, guiding them towards important questions and the most useful Web sites. There are tens of thousands of WebQuests to adapt as well as a template to create your own at QuestGarden.

Note: Check that WebQuest links are not broken.

View EdTechTeacher’s Guided Inquiry Activities for more information on WebQuests.

5 Easy
TrackStar Simply collect websites, enter them into TrackStar, add annotations for your students, and you have an interactive, online lesson called a “Track.” Create your own Track or use one already made by other educators. , the instructions are clear and well illustrated and by all accounts the system is stable, well designed, and easy-to-use. You can search or create Tracks by subject, grade level, standards, etc .

Slideshow: Introduction to TrackStar

4 Easy

I want to connect my students to other students around the world

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
ePals Connect your classroom and students to other students around the world through collaborative projects. ePals allows interaction from class to class, student to student or group to group. Free service.

Unique Feature: Teachers can batch create accounts for students in their class and ePals provides a Parental Consent and Privacy form.

Tip: Join an ongoing ePals project for instant connections

4 Medium
iEARN The International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) allows classrooms to connect on international projects with other students from around the world. There are more than 30,000 schools from 130 countries involved.Unique Feature: With over 150 projects in action, iEARN Country Coordinators will help in the process of getting your class involved in a project.

Note: Several there are excellent iEARN projects, but the service is not free.

3 Medium
The Global Education Collaborative The Global Education Collaborative (GEC) is a community for teachers interested in global education to share resources, discuss topics around global education, and engage in collaborative projects in their classrooms.

Note: Does not specifically connect classrooms, but provides access to individuals and organizations interested in collaborative projects.

4 Easy
TakingITGlobal TakingitGlobal is a social network for teachers and students that allows them to get involved in or create projects from a range of issues. View projects that are in planning or in progress and get involved.

Unique Feature: Search & create new projects with a worldwide audience.

3 Medium
Skype Download Skype for free and connect your classroom to any other Skype classroom in the world. Skype doesn’t provide the connections or projects, but it allows experts in a field, authors, classrooms & students to connect quickly and easily.

Unique Feature: new Skype in the Classroom directory

Education Resources: EdTechTeacher Tutorials & Classroom2.0 Discussion

5 Medium

I want my students to create online portfolios

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Wikispaces The Basic account allows for unliminted users and 2GB storage. The Plus account ($50/yr) allows for great customization, ad-free pages & increased privacy. Teachers can be upgraded to the Plus account for free by certifying that the wiki will be used for educational purposes.

Key Feature: Create student accounts, customize privacy / security & upgrade to Plus account for free.

EdTechTeacher video tutorial: Wikis and Collaborative Learning Part I

5 Medium
PBWorks Free Wiki platform allows for 100 users and 2GB storage.$99/yr Classroom edition allows for increased editing control.

Educators and students can create collaborative projects, share notes, publish work & portfolios online.

Example: Teaching Thoughtful Learners

4 Medium
Blogger Free blogging platform, part of a Google account. (Potentially becoming part of Google Apps for Education) Create multiple blogs within one account, easily change the layout, choose from a number of widgets and easily change comment settings to moderate reader comments.

Unique Features:

  • New layout tool allows blog layout to be changed without adjusting HTML Code.
  • Blogger in Draft now allows blogs to be made mobile friendly.

EdTechTeacher video tutorial: Getting Started with Blogging

4 Medium
edublogs Edublogs is a free blogging platform designed specifically for schools, teachers and students.

Unique Feature: Upgrade to a Pro account ($3.33 / month) and manage 50 blogs without advertising.

Video Introduction to Edublogs

5 Medium
Kidblog Kidblog is a free blogging platform designed for elementary and middle school students. Teachers can monitor and control all activity within the platform. Student blogs are private and only viewable by the teacher and class. 5 Easy
Wordpress Free blogging platform, not designed specifically for students or teachers, but it provides more options, settings, and custom design options than many other platforms.

Beginner WordPress video tutorial

4 Medium

I want my students to create books, magazines, posters, or newsletters online

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Bookr Create and share your own photobook using images from Flickr. Easily create a cover, add pages, insert images & text. This is a great option for creating online books with a shorter amount of text with image backgrounds.

Example: Snow Creatures

3 Easy
Glogster Create multimedia posters and reports infused with animations, audio, and video. (No more 2D posterboard and coloring pens!) Impressive product with strong educational outreach program. Free Basic and Premium account options. Can set up a class account. There is also a good Glogster Overview on their site to help you get started.

Example: Vertebrates and Reptiles

5 Easy
Letterpop Free web based tool to create, publish and share newsletters. Choose from multiple templates, import pictures, edit text & click share to publish your newsletter.

Example: Letterpop Examples

4 Medium
Mixbook Create free photobooks online. Create a photobook, upload pictures & invite friends to collaborate online on the project.

Unique Feature: Upload pictures from multiple online image sharing services, add text and zoom & rotate images.

Example: Mixbook Gallery

3 Medium
Bookrix Bookrix is a free combination of social media and web based publishing that allows students to publish and share their work socially. Within Bookrix, authors can create a profile & blog that can be shared with social media websites.

Example: Bookrix Popular Books

4 Medium
Penzu Free web based journal tool. Journals are private by default, pictures can be included in entries, and journal entries can be shared via email.

Unique Feature: e & mobile (iPhone & Droid) phones can access, edit and write to your Penzu journal.

5 Easy
Tikatok Publish a childrens book with Tikatok. Great option for primary grade teachers. Free teacher account allows teachers to create student accounts, create writing prompts & publish student work in traditional paper books.

Unique Feature: Student created storybooks can be saved as a pdf file that can be used on many e-readers.

Example: Tikatok Story Sparks

4 Medium
Simplebooklet No signup required (free account also available to save booklets). Click CREATE and begin to insert text, image, url, upload files, embed codes & music. Add multiple pages to the booklet & click PUBLISH when complete.

Booklets can be shared via URL, twitter or email or be made public or private.

3 Medium

I want my students to record or edit audio.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Audacity Audacity is a free download for windows or mac that has all of the necessary features to create podcasts. Audio can be recorded live, uploaded, mixed together, cut and remixed easily. Audacity Tutorials 4 Medium
GarageBand (Mac Only) GarageBand, part of Apple iLife suite of programs, is a music studio in your mac, that can be used to make professional, high quality podcast & audio recordings. Use the built in mic to record & choose from the built in GarageBand Apple Loops for background music. This tool is easy to pick up and comes with great built-in help / support.

EdTechTeacher GarageBand Tutorials

EdTechTeacher example: A Day in the Life of a Hobo

4 Medium
Vocaroo A truly unique and quick podcasting option. Audio is recorded live on the website & then available to email or embed in a website or blog. This is a great option for a classroom without any podcasting software. Recordings can also be downloaded for future editing. Unique Feature: Instant embed code is created for any recording. 5 Easy
Voicethread VoiceThread allows students to create narrated slide shows & presentations. Upload images, record (or upload) voice comments, and publish the project online. Voicethread is great for group collaboration that allows students to engage in an ongoing discussion based on the images uploaded to the presentation. Unique Feature: Final products have a number of privacy settings that will fit within most AUP. There are also account options for educators.

Example: Russian Revolution Review

VoiceThread Project Library

5 Medium
Google Voice Google Voice is free with a google account. Create a unique phone number through google that students can call. Calls placed to a google voice account are stored in an email-like inbox that can then be downloaded as an mp3 file, or embedded. Unique Feature: Google Voice allows students to use their cell phones to create audio files. 4 Easy
Hi-Q Recording (PC Download) Download Hi-Q and begin recording podcast. Simple interface & easy to use. Unique Feature: Hi-Q allows you to record streaming audio or video that is playing on your computer. 3 Easy
iPod Recorder/ Belkin TuneTalk Turn an older model iPod into a recording device with any number of ipod recorders. With just a few ipods and recorders, many students can be recording and creating podcasts simultaneously. Once recording is complete, sync the ipod to extract the new voice recording for later use. Tip: Be sure to convert the extracted voice recording to an mp3 file or upload the recording to an editing program (garageband or audacity) to create a polished podcast. 4 Medium
Chirbit Chirbit is a free web based recording option that allows you to quickly share the recordings via facebook, twitter & through short urls. Unique Feature: Text to Chirbit option allows typed comments to be quickly turned into audio that can be shared on the web. 4 Easy
Audiopal AudioPal is a free web based service that can create recordings through phone, mic, upload or text. Unique Feature: When recording is complete, enter your email address to receive the embed code for the recording. 4 Easy
Yodio Use your cell phone to narrate pictures. Create a card (one picture & one recording) or a tour (many pictures & multiple recordings). Create a free account and include your cell phone to quickly call & record a Yodio. 4 Easy
MyBrainShark Brainshark is a free web based tool. Quickly add audio to narrate a Powerpoint or document. Use a phone to narrate the presentation and then grab the embed code for a website or blog. 3 Medium
Voxli Create a free web based, group chat with Voxli. Quickly create an audio chat room & share the url with up to 200 guests. This is a great option for a synchronous meeting, interview or group project. 4 Easy
Audioboo Either through the web, or from a mobile device, quickly create and share audio recordings. The free account allows up to five minutes of audio at a time, and students can include an image as well as their geographic location when the recordings come from a mobile device. 5 Medium

I want to use an interactive whiteboard with my students.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Triptico (Download) Free download application that with multiple whiteboard specific tools: Word Magnets, Choose 10, Order Resource, Team Scorer & Student Selector. Tools can be manipulated with an interactive whiteboard or mouse. 5 Medium
Flockdraw Free web based tool to collaborate in real time through a unique url. Anyone can begin working on a canvas without registration, and there can be an unlimited number of collaborators on a project. Primarily used for visual arts, although it does include a text feature. Key Features:

  • Embed Code Provided
  • Chat Window
  • Save work
3 Easy
Cacoo Free online whiteboard with a tremendous amount of stock images to use on projects. Whiteboards can be exported, shared with other cacoo users or made viewable publicly. This is a great tool for collaborative design.

Key Features:

  • Board can be kept private
  • Multiple users at once
  • Huge amount of existing image content
4 Medium
CoSketch Free web based platform that allows for multi-user collaboration without an account. Simply share the url and anyone can participate. You can save your sketch image to embed, except when using Google Maps as a background.

Key Feature: Use Google Maps as a background to any workspace.

3 Easy
Nota Free web based platform that also allows for multi-user collaboration. Editors can be added to any project, but new editors do not need a Nota account, simply invite via email. Projects can be public or private. Key Features:

  • YouTube, Wikipedia & Google Maps can be included in a project.
  • Images from Flickr, Picasa and Facebook can be imported into a project.
  • Projects have embed code.
4 Medium
Skribl Quickly create a free online workspace for collaboration. Simply share the url and begin work. Upload images, text or files to work on in real time. 3 Easy
Skriblink Web based, multi-user workspace. Create a new workspace without making an account & invite others via email or URL. Workspaces can be saved (email link will be sent later) or printed when complete.

Key Features:

  • Math type supported & allows for equations to be included.
  • Chat feature included phone conferencing feature.
4 Easy
Vyew Vyew is a web based, collaborative work space. A free account allows for up to 10 collaborators on a workspace. Insert files, urls or images into the workspace.

Key Features:

  • Conference calling (number is auto generated)
  • Webcam
  • Chatroom
4 High

I want my students to create and edit maps.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Google Maps Google Maps provides editing tools to create and personalize online map. Click the My Maps tab to create a new map. Add placemarks, highlight locations, and more.

Example: map related to the novel My Brother Sam is Dead

Google Maps User Guide

4 Medium
UMapper Quickly create, edit and annotate maps with this web based tool. Mapping services to choose from include: Bing, Google, Yahoo and Openstreet. Maps can be tagged, routes created, and media embedded within the map (audio & image). Once a map is complete it can be shared or embedded. 3 Medium
Woices Create location based audio maps with Woices in three simple steps. Pick a location, name the map and record (or upload) audio. Woices allows students to create an audio layer of information for their community or geographic location of study.

Key Feature: iPhone and Android applications allows for Woices creation on mobile phones.

3 Medium
Open Street Map Similar to Google Maps, but open-source. 3 Medium
Quick Maps Quickmaps allows you to Choose your location, draw lines, scribble, place markers and embed the final product. 3 Easy
Scribble Maps Edit and make notations on Google Maps with this web based mapping tool. Features include: text, image & markers. Final product can be saved and shared with an embed code. 3 Easy

I want my students to draw or create comics on the web.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Sketchast Record a sketch live as it is being created & narrate the recording. This tool is useful for having students demonstrate their understanding of math equations and concepts. When finished, the audio sketch can be embedded.

Example: Explore Sketcast

3 Easy
Sketchfu Create drawings online & play them back instantly to view the product as it was created. Finished products can be shared online. Unique Feature: Sketchfu captures art as it is being created and allows others to see the process of creating in action. 3 Easy
Chogger Create comics online by creating original art or uploading pictures to your comic strip. Add speech or thought bubbles and quickly publish a finished product. 3 Medium
Kerpoof Create fully animated comics onine with Kerpoof. Choose from a library of scenes and characters, add animation, movement, music and speech bubbles to bring a story idea to life. Extremely intuitive menu bar and helpful video tutorials make this tool quite useful. Key Feature: Teacher Account allows teachers to register students and create classes where students can collaborate on creations.

Example: Kerpoof Classroom Ideas

4 Medium
ToonDoo Free individual account, Premium educator account is based on number of participants and length of use, fees are reasonable. Education account allows for greater privacy and security. Completed projects can be shared or embedded.

Example: ToonDoo Hall of Fame

3 Medium
ReadWriteThink - Comic Creator Extremely easy comic strip tool. The features are at a minimum: import people, text and props. Projects can be printed when complete. 4 Easy
Scratch Scratch is a simplified programming language that allows students to create their own multi-media, interactive stories. There is a great deal of educational support material, including forums, ScratchED online community, videos, reference guide and ideas to get started. Scratch must be downloaded for use.

Example: Featured Projects

4 Medium

I want to create tests, quizzes, and games online.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Quia Quia provides an online platform specifically for teachers to create quizzes, games and assignments online. The annual educator account is $49. Unique Feature: Students receive instant feedback on their quizzes and assignments. There are over 15 assignment types to choose from and teachers can share and collaborate on created assignments.

Example: Quia Sample Activities

4 Medium
Hot Potatoes This is a program that can be downloaded (Windows and Mac) to create assignments online. Assignment options include: multiple choice, short answer, jumbled sentence, crossword, matching, and gap filled. This is not intended as a test generator, but instead as a language exercise generator.

Example: Example Exercises

3 Medium
Easy Test Maker This tool is a free, onilne test generator that allows you to create: multiple choice, fil in the blank, matching, short answer & true and false questions. Unique Feature: All question types can be included on one creation & alternate versions of test can be created instantly (with the Plus account, $14.95). 4 Medium
QuizStar Free web based testing manager that allows educators to create a class, quizzes, administer quizzes and view results. Unique Feature: Multimedia files can be included in quizzes. There is also a unique student log in page with a tutorial. 4 Medium

I want my students to organize, bookmark and edit their research online.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Evernote Add notes, images, URL and clips from the web to this online organizational tool. With a free account, students can create folders for specific classes or research projects. Each new note that is added can be placed in a specific folder.

Key Features:

  • Tag notes with specific keywords. Keywords can be searched later to find specific research notes.
  • Pictures taken with cell phone can be text messages or emailed to Evernote account.
  • iPhone & Android application allows for research and note taking away from computer.
4 Medium
Springpad Free online organization tool, similar to Evernote. Create new folders to store an organize notes, bookmarks & URLs.

Key Features:

  • Google Chrome Extension & iPhone application
  • Look up ideas within Springpad that you want to add
  • Tag notes with keywords
3 Medium
WebKlipper Find online content, website or document. Insert the URL into Webklipper and the website can now have notations placed onto the content. The notations made on the URL are saved via a unique URL that can be shared with others. Users can demonstrate how they read a document based on the notations left behind. 4 Medium
Diigo Diigo is a great tool to create, share, and annotate bookmarks. Create or join a group and share bookmarks with colleagues, students, and others. Annotation tools surpass Delicious.

Note: Delicious is a popular alternative, but is no longer supported by Yahoo.

EdTechTeacher video tutorial: Social Bookmarking with Diigo

5 Easy

I want to find or create rubrics for multimedia projects.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Rubistar Use their pre-made rubrics for various types of projects, or create and customize a rubric to fit your specific needs. 4 Medium
Rubric Machine Type a topic into a search box, and choose from a vast number of rubrics. 3 Medium
University of Wisconsin-Stout Rubric Page Rubrics available for assessment of web and multimedia projects. Topics include:

  • Wikis
  • Web Sites
  • Podcasts
  • Writing
  • Oral Presentations
  • Research
4 Easy
Teach-Nology Rubric Tools This site provides an extensive list of rubrics, rubric generators and collections to choose from. 3 Easy

I want to connect to other teachers to share ideas and resources.

Tool Description Usefulness Rating

(1-5)

Ease-of-Use Rating
Ning Ning allows anyone to create and customize their own social networking site. Ning enables educators to connect with each other to share materials, ideas, teaching strategies, and more. The most popular educator community Ning is Classroom 2.0. Examples:

4 Easy
Twitter Twitter is a free web tool that many educators use to connect to others. Twitter asks the question: Members respond in 140 characters or lesst. The power of Twitter is learning from and connecting with people on Twitter.

Tip: Find people with similar interests who you respect and follow them. Tweet regularly so people follow you.

EdTechTeacher Twitter for Teachers video tutorial

List of teachers on Twitter

3 Medium
WordPress My latest post:Smart socialmedia Is social media marketing effective? Thats the question being asked as more and more businesses …

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

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July 23, 2011

RECKLESS: INACTION ON CAPITOL HILL JEOPARDIZES STUDENTS AND MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES

Filed under: NEA.org — Tags: , , , , , — mpearce@ teachade.com @ 10:20 am
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The August deadline looms for Congress to raise the nations debt ceiling and avoid catastrophic economic fallout. This week, the House passed the NEA-opposed Cut, Cap, and Balance Act (H.R. 2560), which would write spending caps into law and hold the debt limit increase hostage unless two-thirds of the House and the Senate agree to a constitutional balanced budget amendment.Read NEAs letter opposing the bill andsee how your Representative voted.

Like other proposed spending caps and balanced budget amendments, this plan which should really be called the Dodge, Duck, and Dismantle Act would result in the largest cuts in federal spending in modern history slashing education, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs that meet crucial national needs. The proposal does not exempt core basic assistance programs for the poorest Americans from across-the-board cuts, yet seeks to safeguard tax cuts and tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. President Obama has threatened to veto the bill should it come to his desk for signature.

Instead of balancing the budget on the backs of the poor and middle class, policymakers should ensure that any deal includes revenue raised by making the wealthiest in our nation pay their fair share. Elected officials should work together on a bipartisan basis to help Main Street hang on, not help Wall Street get more.

Take Action Today:Tell Congress that the budget should not be balanced on the backs of the middle class and our most vulnerable populations!

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BILL TO FUND SPECIAL EDUCATION INTRODUCED!
This week, Senator Harkin (D-IA) introduced the IDEA Full Funding Act. The bill would make funding for special education mandatory and gradually increase funding to reach the federal governments promised level (40 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure of every child in special education) by FY 2021.

For too long, Congress has failed to live up to its commitment to fund special education. This continued underfunding in combination with current state fiscal crises forces school districts to either raise taxes or dip into general education budgets to make up for the shortfall, thereby cutting other critical services.

Take Action Today: Urge your Senators to cosponsor and support the IDEA Full Funding Act.

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SAVE OUR SCHOOLS RALLY AND MARCH — JULY 30, 2011
The Save our Schools (SOS) rally and march is a grassroots movement to reclaim schools as places of learning, joy, and democracy. The event will take place on July 30, in Washington, DC, but there are also ways to participate in or plan actionsin your local area!

For more information and updates as the date approaches, to tell us you will be marching, or to let us know about events in your area, visit theSOS March pageon NEAs Education Votes website.

April 19, 2011

Columbine-Themed Feature Film, “April Showers,” Premieres VOD on Eve of Tragic Anniversary

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“April Showers” VOD Premieres on Eve of Columbine School Shootings Anniversary

“April Showers,” the acclaimed independent feature film written and directed by Columbine school shootings survivor Andrew Robinson, based on his experiences during the April 20, 2009 tragedy, premieres on Video-On-Demand today, April 19th, nationwide.

January 29, 2011

1/28/2010 Tell Congress: Investing in Education is an Investment in Our Nation #2

Filed under: NEA.org, NEAMB, US Congress — Tags: , , , , — mpearce@ teachade.com @ 3:43 am
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Tell Congress: Investing in Education is an Investment in Our Nation’s Future

This week, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to slash federal funding. If applied to education, these cuts would result in a loss of over $9 billion for education programs, devastating programs like Title I, IDEA, and Pell Grants and leaving millions of students without the resources they need to succeed.

While the Senate is not expected to act on these cuts, this House vote was the first step in a plan to reduce funding even further, with even more damaging consequences for students, schools and our nation.

Investing in education is an investment in our nation’s future. Research shows an inextricable link between investment in education and economic strength. Investing in education:

Increases productivity and ensures a competitive workforce Leads to higher earnings for educated workers, thereby generating higher tax payments at the local, state, and federal levels
Reduces dependence on public assistance programs
Raises wages across the board, as all workers, regardless of education level, earn more when there are more college graduates in the labor force.
Students get only one shot at an education. It is not their fault they are in school during a devastating economic crisis.

Take Action TODAY: Tell Congress to invest in education for our nation’s future.

Message for Policymakers: Listen to the Experts - Educators - on ESEA Reauthorization
In his January 25 State of the Union Address, President Obama called focused on education, encouraging increased investment in public education with a focus on career and college readiness. The President stressed a number of key education initiatives, including:

Replacing the No Child Left Behind Act with “a law that is more flexible and focused on what’s best for our kids.”
Making permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit, worth $10,000 for four years of college.
Strengthening America’s public higher education system, with the goal of ensuring that America has the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the end of the decade. Obama stressed the important role community colleges play in training workers for new careers.
Reforming immigration laws to ensure talented and responsible students can work in the United States after graduation.
Read NEA’s reaction to the President’s speech.

The President’s emphasis on education foreshadows a likely focus on ESEA reauthorization early in the new Congress. Many new Members of Congress have little expertise on education issues and all Member of Congress need reminders of how their decisions impact educators and the students we serve.

Take Action Today: Tell Congress that every child deserves a great public school, and that legislators need listen to educators if they want to learn how to make that happen.

January 22, 2011

Tell Congress: Investing in Education is an Investment in Our Nation

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Tell Congress: Investing in Education is an Investment in Our Nation’s Future
The House of Representatives is poised to vote the week of January 24 on a resolution to slash federal funding. If applied to education, these cuts would result in a loss of over $9 billion for education programs, devastating programs like Title I, IDEA, and Pell Grants and leaving millions of students without the resources they need to succeed.

Next week’s vote is the first step in a plan to reduce funding even further, with even more damaging consequences for students, schools and our nation.

Investing in education is an investment in our nation’s future. Research shows an inextricable link between investment in education and economic strength. Investing in education:

Increases productivity and ensures a competitive workforce
Leads to higher earnings for educated workers, thereby generating higher tax payments at the local, state, and federal levels
Reduces dependence on public assistance programs
Raises wages across the board, as all workers, regardless of education level, earn more when there are more college graduates in the labor force.
Students get only one shot at an education. It is not their fault they are in school during a devastating economic crisis.

Take Action TODAY: Tell Congress to invest in education for our nation’s future.

Calling All Cyber Lobbyists! How Connected Are We?
As the 112th Congress begins with record numbers of new Members, there has never been a more critical time to ensure that our best advocates — real-life educators with hands-on experience working in schools across the country - are part of the debates that impact education. Effective lobbying relies on personal relationships with policy makers, not only with NEA’s Washington, DC lobbyists, but especially with NEA members who can share personal experiences with Members of Congress.

TAKE ACTION NOW
E-mail NEA at [email protected] if you have a personal connection with any member of U.S. House of Representatives or United States Senate. For example, are you personally acquainted with any Members? Did you grow up with or go to school with any Member? Did you teach a Member of Congress when he/she was in school? Did you work on a Member’s campaign? Are you on his or her speed dial? Please be sure to provide the Member’s name and state, your name and contact information, and a brief description of how you know the Member. Together, we can work with Congress to ensure great public schools for every student.

Ask Your Members of Congress, “Please Step Into My Class Room”

Have you ever thought, “If my representatives in Congress spent just one day in my shoes, they would understand better what they can do to help America’s students - and where federal laws and regulations hamper rather than help?”

Here’s your chance to tell them what they would see in your classroom or school, and how they can help your students succeed. Congress is getting ready to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Act, known as NCLB, so your input is timely.

Send your Members of Congress a letter right now. NEA will get copies of your letters and we will share some of your messages through our publications and web sites. Your letter doesn’t need to be long, but it should include an experience or experiences you’ve had in school.

Here’s one way to start:
“Dear ….,
I’d like to tell you about my school [or my students].

…”
And here’s one way to end:
“The best way you can help my students succeed is to…”

You’re the education expert! S hare your knowledge with Congress

Tell Congress: Investing in Education is an Investment in Our Nation’s Future
The House of Representatives is poised to vote the week of January 24 on a resolution to slash federal funding.

September 1, 2009

Adopt-A-Classroom - Mission Statement

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Adopt-A-Classroom empowers teachers with additional funds to mitigate their out-of-pocket expenses and to purchase hands-on learning resources so they can transform their classrooms into vibrant centers for learning. The community support not only bolsters teacher morale but also student enthusiasm for school.

www.adoptaclassroom.org

June 23, 2009

Teachers TV - From Good to Outstanding

Filed under: General, Tutor — Tags: , , , , , — 7480 @ 9:21 pm
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Hi everyone, I’m working on behalf of Teachers TV to ask for teachers to give their advice and opinions to fellow teachers who are taking part in a new series of From Good to Outstanding http://bit.ly/outstanding. I thought the teachers on this site would find this relevant, so I hope this is OK to post here. The series started on 9th June 2009 and we would really like more teachers to get involved and let us know what they think.

Here’s a bit more about the programmes: Taking a teacher who was rated ‘good’ by their school, viewers will have the opportunity to give their advice about how they could deliver an ‘outstanding’ lesson. After also receiving advice from specialist coaches, we find out what impact the experience has had on each teacher taking part.

Read more about secondary science teacher Hana and early years teacher Rachel in the discussion group http://bit.ly/goodgroup as they are interviewed by Teachers TV. Hana and Rachel welcome your advice after their first lesson which is now live, so do get involved.

Thanks in advance for your contributions.

Beth Granter
On behalf of Teachers TV

http://bit.ly/outstanding

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