Teacher Experience Exchange

The Teacher Experience Exchange is a social network designed by HP for educators.  This is a nice site for finding educational resources such as web 2.0 tools and lesson plans, and of course collaborating w/ others.  Also, this is a good site for professional development and articles are rated on a 5 star scale which helps for deciding on what is relevant material.

I recommend checking out The Teacher Experience Exchange by clicking here!!

For my top 20 social networks for education click here.

Google in Education

Google has revamped their Education site and I feel that it is worth mention.  Not only is this a great site for the awesome Google Apps suite but for many other resources as well.  Teachers can find resources, lesson plans, videos etc.  Information on Google Chromebooks can be found and how they are being used in the classroom.  Students can find out about the latest contest and events and much much more.

I highly recommend checking out Google in Education by clicking here!!!

Top 10 Sites for Creating a Chart or Graph

Charts and Graphs are an effective tool when trying to convey information in a simple and visual way. Also, it is a great way to track trends and help explain complex datasets. This is something that has been used in the business world and education on a everyday basis.  With that, I decided to list my top favorite sites for creating a chart or graph.

Top 10 Sites for Creating a Chart or Graph

1. Rich Chart Live - An excellent site for created animated flash based charts that can be embedded into a site.  Also, a user has the ability to add links to a chart.
2. iCharts - Is a wonderful site/network for creating charts that you can embed into a site.  Also, a user can share charts on social networking sites and browse/save other iCharts from the web.
3. Chartle - A great site for creating online interactive charts.  What makes Chartle so unique and impressive is the ability to create more then your standard graphs such as: venn diagrams, maps, gauges, etc.
4. Hohli - A very user friendly site to use that is similar to Chartle.  A user can create a variety of different types of charts such as: pie, scatter plots, and radar, then embed them into a site.
5. Lucid Chart - A nice site for creating a variety of different charts and diagrams.  Also, it is a very easy site to use w/ a drag-n-drop interface.  Best of all, Lucid Chart has an educational portal which allows chart creation free for education.
6. ChartGo - ChartGo is a neat site for creating charts that's very easy to use.  All a user has to do is fill out the pre-determined sets of data and select the type of chart they want to create.
7. Pretty Graph - A simple site to use to make a wide variety of graphs, such as: line charts, histograms , and more.  Also, a user can embed into a site, share w/ others users via email, or save as template.
8. Diagramly - A cool site for creating diagrams, flow charts, and more that is similar to Lucid Chart. Users of Inspiration should feel right at home w/ this online tool as there are plenty of shapes and clip art to choose from.
9. Cacoo - A great site for creating online charts and diagrams.  A great feature is the ability to collaborate w/ others in real-time while creating a chart via a chat.
10. Lovely Charts - A easy site to use to make very nice looking/polished charts.  While not free, there are three paid versions to choose from, such as: iPad, online, or desktop.

Bonus - Useful Charts - While not a chart creation tool, this site has some of the best looking charts for every subject.  Also, laminated charts can be ordered for the classroom.

ThinkBinder

ThinkBinder is a great site for creating study groups that I just found out about from David Andrade's wonderful blog.  Not only can a user create a study group but they can create a live video/text chat to share and collaborate.

I recommend checking out ThinkBinder by clicking here!!

QuizMEOnline

QuizMEOnline is a great new social network for students.  This site is ideal for creating quizzes, flashcards, and study guides and then sharing them w/ others.  Another nice feature is the ability to create a study group or class and then share things w/ them.  Also, a user has a number of privacy controls on who can/can't see their quizzes.

I highly recommend checking out QuizMEOnline by clicking here.

For another nice site for creating collaborative quizzes check out Gnowledge.

i Tell a Story

i Tell a Story is an excellent free app for digital storytelling.  To me this closely resembles how Garageband is used to create a podcast.  A user can upload a photo and then record their voice narrating a story.  Best of all a person can add sound effects from a built in sound library or any audio from their iTunes library.  A finished story is save as a mp4 filed and can be shared w/ others via email.

I highly recommend checking out i Tell a Story by clicking here!!!

VoiceThread app

VoiceThread is a nifty free iPad/iPhone app for users of VoiceThread.  A user can pretty much do the same thing they can do on the site such as uploading photos, adding comments, adding audio, and then drawing over a picture.  When the digital story is done it can then be shared via an email.  Also, this is a great way to manage and view VoiceThreads on a mobile device.

I highly recommend checking out the VoiceThread app by clicking here!!