Friday, September 30, 2011

ABC Teach

ABC Teach is a great site for educational resources. A teacher can create worksheets, find lesson plans, and even search through school appropriate clipart. There are even resources for interactive whiteboards.

I highly recommend checking out ABC Teach by clicking here!!

For my top 10 educational resources click here.

Practicowl

Practicowl is a nice free site for creating practice exams on any given subject. Once a test is created it can then be shared w/ others online.

Give Practicowl a try by clicking here.

For the ultimate in test creation and collaboration check out the far superior Gnowledge.

ProProfs

ProProfs is a great "all in 1" site for educators/students. What I mean by that is that there is so much to do here that this is almost like a one stop shopping of sorts. This site has: educational games, flashcard creator, quiz maker, and even a poll creator.

I highly recommend checking out ProProfs to see how it can work best for you, click here!!!

Ginger

Ginger is a free software download for a PC that is excellent for grammar and spell checking. Also, this application has a text to speech reader and works on all types of formats (Word, PPT, etc.).

I highly recommend checking out Ginger by clicking here!!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Youngzine

Youngzine is a site I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is an excellent site for kids/students to find out current information on the web. Here is a quote straight from their site, "Our goal is to help parents and educators create a vibrant community of globally aware young citizens in an increasingly connected world. Along with news stories written specifically with our young audience in mind, Youngzine strives to inform using fun trivia, compelling visuals and videos."

Also, there are some nice features educators get such as a classroom blog and an area to collaborate on w/ students. In this "area" a teacher can post assignments, comments, and use it for grading.

I highly recommend checking out Youngzine by clicking here!!!

Reel

Reel is a wonderful site for creating amazing presentations by uploading files, PPT, or PDF's. Once the presentation is completed a user can embed it into their site or share a unique URL w/ others. Also, there is thumbs up/down button for others to click to rate your slideshow.

I highly recommend checking out Reel by clicking here!!!

A special shout out to my friend on Twitter for sharing this great site w/ me 8-)

For my top 10 sites for creating a slideshow click here.

Pixenate

Pixenate is a nice free online photo editor. As w/ most photo editors user can: crop a photo, rotate, and resize an image. Also, there are some nice options such as drawing and teeth whitening.

I highly recommend checking out Pixenate by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for photo editing click here.

TutPup

TutPup is a new (beta) site for educational games for kids. This site is for kids ages 5-14 and focues on math, spelling, etc. Best of all, this site is COPPA compliant and is safe for kids to use.

I highly recommend checking out TutPup by clicking here!!

Chess Kid

Chess Kid is a fun/safe place for kids to learn how to play the game of chess. This is ideal for those that are teaching chess club or have students in chess club who want to practice their skills and learn the rules of the game. Best of all, parents control all of their child's online access.

I highly recommend checking out Chess Kids by clicking here!!


Library Thing

Library Thing is a nice site for cataloging books and then sharing your thoughts and feeling w/ others. Think of it a social network for books a la Shelfari. A user can rate books on a star system (ie, Amazon), connect w/ other users, etc etc.

I recommend checking out Library Thing by clicking here!!

For similar sites check out Book Army or Goodreads.

Social Decks

Social Decks is a nice site for creating flash cards on any subject. Flash Cards are shared w/ others via a unique URL and images can be added to cards too. A user can search through online cards as well.

I recommend checking out Social Decks by clicking here!!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

eLearning for Kids

E-Learning for Kids is a great place for students to find courses on any number of subjects. This site is geared towards kids ages 5-12 and the courses are broken down by subject and grade. These online courses are easy and fun for the kids to do and cover everything from math to computer skills.

I highly recommend checking out E-Learning for Kids by clicking here!!

Synonym Finder

Synonym Finder is a great online thesaurus. Not only can users find synonyms to their words but antonyms and definitions as well.

I highly recommend checking Synonym Finder by clicking here!!

Word Steps

Words Steps is a great site for trying to learn a foreign language. On this site a user can create a word list that they want to learn. This list can contain images to help the person learn, as well as audio to help pronunciation. WS also has a mobile app to help people learn on the go.

I highly recommend checking out Word Steps by clicking here!!

For another nice site for foreign language learners check out Imendi.

Critical Past

Critical Past is a great free site for history buffs or teachers. This site has over 57,000 videos and 7 millions stock-free images from the last 100+ years. What makes this site so great is the ability to search for data by decade, subject, or even find out what happened on your birthday.

I highly recommend checking out Critical Past by clicking here!!!


SchoolRack

SchoolRack is a nice site for teachers to create a free website or blog. There are some nice features as creating a student or parent portal for sharing information. Also, a teacher can create a mailing list which is nice when wanting to send an email to a group of people. A teacher even has the ability post and monitor classroom assignments.

I highly recommend checking out SchoolRack by clicking here!!

For my top 10 website creators click here.

CalcMoolater

CalcMoolater is a great site for finding calculators for all types of occasions (ie, student loans, mortgage, etc etc) The way this works is selecting the category for the type of calculator you need and the entering the data it asks for.

I recommend checking out CalcMoolater by clicking here!!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Classtell

Classtell is a wonderful site for educators to create an educational website. This is easy to do w/ a nice user interface. Also, a teacher can password protect any on their webpages or control who can view them for excellent privacy controls.

I highly recommend checking out Classtell by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for website creators click here.

Flisti

Flisti is a nice easy site to use for creating free online polls. A user has the ability to allow for multiple answers and can share their polls w/ others or embed them into a site/blog.

I recommend checking out Flisti by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for creating polls click here.

Sneffel

Sneffel is a free site for creating a real-time collaborative whiteboard. This site reminds me a lot of Concept Board or Board 800 where a user creates an online whiteboard and then invites others via a unique URL. Another nice feature is the ability to embed the board into a site/blog.

View the brief demo below...



I recommend checking out Sneffel by clicking here!!

FYI, the site is no longer being supported by the developer so tech support would be hard to come by if at all.


Knotebooks

Knotebooks is a great collaborative site for teachers and students for taking notes and then sharing w/ others. Not only can student take notes but they can create study guides and share them online. Also, teachers can create educational resources and share them as well.

I highly recommend checking out Knotebooks by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for note taking clicking here.


Scour

Scour is a new (beta) search engine that index's through the most popular search engines (ie, Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.). What makes Scour unique is that the results that are returned can be commented and voted on to help users select what's best for them.

I highly recommend checking out Scour by clicking here!!

Draw it Live

Draw it Live is a site I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's great blog. This is a simple/fun site to use for creating a collaborative drawing. This is done by naming your interactive whiteboard for drawing and then sharing a unique URL.


I highly recommend checking out Draw it Live by clicking here!!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Study Ladder

Study Ladder is a site I just found out about from a Facebook ad. This is a great site for educational resources (ie, worksheets, lesson plans) as well as educational games. SL is one of the fastest growing educational sites around and has lots to offer.

I highly recommend checking out Study Ladder by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for educational resources click here.

Vocalyze

Vocalyze is a site I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is a great site for having web content read to you. This is ideal for those that like to multi-task and don't have time to read news on the web, or for those who may be visually impaired and can't read the way themselves.

I highly recommend checking out Vocalyze by clicking here!!

School Circuit

School Circuit is a nice looking free online environment/grading tool for educators. This is a place where students, teachers, and parents can come together through collaboration (ie, grade tracking, messaging, etc etc). While this is a free site, a user gets more features through a paid license such as reporting and data storage.

I highly recommend checking out Student Circuit by clicking here!!

Also, check out LearnBoost or Schoology for similar learning management systems.


Panfu

Panfu is a fun/safe place for kids to explore a virtual world. Here is a description from their site, "Panfu combines play, knowledge, discovery, fun and safety. We provide a place for creativity, playful learning, social interaction and adventure for your child."

There are nice educational games here to be found in an environment that is monitored and filtered where nothing inappropriate gets posted.

I highly recommend checking out Panfu by clicking here!!

Piq

Piq is a fun site for making digital art. This is a simple site to use and designed around using pixels to create fun pieces of art. Being a "web 2.0" site using and can share and comment on pieces of art online.

I recommend checking out Piq by clicking here!!

Below is a short demo video...


For my top 10 sites for creating digital art click here.

Cut My Pic

Cut My Pic is a nice site for editing photos. As w/ most photo editing sites a picture can be cropped, corners can be rounded, and special effects can be added. Once a picture is done be edited it can then be saved or emailed to share w/ others.

I highly recommend checking out Cut My Pic by clicking here!!

Below is an example....


For my top 10 sites for photo editing click here.

Celly

Celly is a wonderful free site for using mobile phones/text messaging in the classroom (found out about from a member of my PLN on Twitter). There is a lot to like about using Celly such as: creating a chat, alerting, and even using a curator to approve messages before they get posted (ideal for education). Also, it's ideal for taking notes, interacting w/ web (no phone is actually needed), etc etc.

I highly recommend checking out Celly by clicking here!!

Also, I recommend checking out TXTNLRN for texting in the classsroom.

Polltogo

Polltogo is a wonderful app for any mobile device for creating polls and getting instant feedback. Ideally, this is a much cheaper solution then for those districts that use Activotes or some type of voting system w/ their smartboard.

This is a great item to use w/ students to engage them in an activity and get instant real-time data on any given topic.

I recommend checking out Polltogo by clicking here!!!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Pic Treat

Pic Treat is a nice site for editing a profile photo. This is done by uploading any photo (profile or face pictures work best) and then waiting while it smoothes skin, removes red eye, etc etc. When finished it shows you a before and after picture and then can be shared among favorite social networking sites (ie, Facebook, Twitter).

I recommend checking out Pic Treat by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for photo editing click here.

Brain Nook

Brain Nook is an excellent site to help kids strengthen their math and english skills. This is done by roaming through safe virtual worlds while playing educational games. Also, there is the ability for teachers to add a class so their kids can play together.

I highly recommend checking out Brain Nook by clicking here!!!

Learnopia

Learnopia is a learning management system for teachers and students. This is a great place for students to search for online classes that are ideal for them. Also, this a nice place for educators to find free resources or even teach classes online for free or a price.

I highly recommend checking out Learnopia by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for online tutoring or teaching click here.

Skloog

Skloog is a new (beta) site for bookmarking sites in a visual way. This is done by creating thumbnails of a users site and then being able to tag them and arrange them in anyway. Also, a user browse lists created on Skloog.

I recommend checking Skloog out by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on bookmarking click here.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Oomfo

Oomfo is a new (beta) site for powerpoint that is a wonderful add-on. Once Oomfo is downloaded users can then create excellent looking, interactive, animated graphs.

I highly recommend checking out Oomfo by clicking here!!

Braineos

Braineos is a new (beta) fun site for students for playing educational games to help them study. These games cover all types of subjects such as: Chemistry, Spanish, Math, etc. Also, this is a nice site for finding and creating flashcard which can assist in learning a subject.

I highly recommend checking out Braineos by clicking here!!!

Simple K12

Simple K12 is a site that I've known about for quite some time but happily reminded about from David Andrade's wonderful blog. This is a site dedicated to helping students/educators bridge the gap between technology and education and integrate them w/ 21st century technologies.

They offer educational resources, professional development, and even a free ebook on technology. They have a great selection of webinars to look through, a nice student curriculum, and a great blog to check out.

I highly recommend taking a look at Simple K12 by clicking here!!!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

We Video

We Video is a site I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is a great site for creating collaborative videos. This is done by either choosing stock video or uploading your own and the editing the footage (trim/crop etc.). Being "web 2.0" in nature a user has the ability to invite others to collaborate/edit a video as well.

I highly recommend checking out We Video by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for video editing click here.

BO.LT

BO.LT is a wonderful site for tagging/recommend websites. This is done w/ a very easy to use innovative interface that allows user to create "bo.lt" page by copy and pasting a URL. That is all a user has to do. They are then given a unique URL that can be shared w/ others. This new page will have a bo.lt icon which allows people to leave comments or share via Facebook or Twitter. Also, there are a bunch of nice shortcuts that users can do for tracking or shortening URL's.

I highly highly recommend checking out BO.LT by clicking here!!

For an example a page that has been bo.lted click here.

Tabblo

Tabblo is a nice site designed by HP for creating a story w/ photos and text. This is a very easy site to use and when the product is finished a user can share it w/ others online, email, or even view it in a slideshow. This could be a good site for digital storytelling/slide shows.

I highly recommend checking out Tabblo by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites on digital storytelling click here.

Threddie

Threddie is a nice site for brainstorming online. This is done w/ a nice user interface and is free for a personal account. A business account does cost money but allows for more storage. A nice feature is the ability to customize your own URL.

I recommend checking out Threddie by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for brainstorming or mind mapping click here!!

Draw a Stickman

Draw a Stickman is a fun site I learned about from Larry Ferlazzo's award nominated blog. It's simple to do and fun to watch the stickman walk around and talk out loud. Once an animation is done a user can share it w/ others via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

I recommend checking out Draw a Stickman by clicking here!!

TXTNLRN

TXTNLRN is a very innovative site that is designed to teach and learn through text messages. Right now there are bunch of classes for writing, computers, etc. All enrollment is done via a text and TXTNLRN is also available spanish.

Some of the reasons to use TXTNLRN are (straight from their site):
  • The course starts when you want
  • Learn at your pace, time and place
  • Supplements in the learning process
  • Individual or Group online classes
  • The courses are customizable
  • Low Bandwidth, resource requirement
  • Flexibility
  • Global
  • Mentoring
  • On demand
  • Audio conferencing and Desktop sharing at certain points of the class using Gtalk or Skype and Zoho meeting.
  • You can join the TXTNLRN on line community

I highly recommend checking out TXTLRN by clicking here!!!

    Wednesday, September 21, 2011

    Top 10 Sites for Online Tutoring and Teaching

    Over the last few years online tutoring sites have really boosted in popularity. The reason for this is people just don't have the time or the money to spend at an actually tutoring center. Online Tutoring is an ideal solution as it can be done at home on a computer or mobile device and is usually a much cheaper alternative. Also, online tutoring/teaching is a nice way for educators to earn some extra money doing what they love to from the comfort of their own home and setting their own schedule. Plus, students should love the ability to view and choose courses that work for them.

    Top 10 Sites for Online Tutoring & Teaching
    1. WizIQ - Probably one of the most popular online sites for teaching/tutoring. There are different pricing plans available for students who take classes in a private virtual classroom.
    2. Much Enough - A wonderful site for educators to teach any subject online (via webcam) and charge what they want. Also, they create their schedule and have the ability to promote their classes too.
    3. Learningfy - A great place for one on one tutoring via a webcam that starts out w/ a $5 trial to assess the teacher and student.
    4. Buddy School - A excellent site for tutoring online w/ the ability to promote your classes and increase your teacher score (rating by students).
    5. Tutor Hub - A community where students can find answer to their questions or find an online tutor who sets their own rates.
    6. Live Mind - A nice place to teach online where a educators sets their own rate and schedule. Live Mind has a nice user interface and handles all the incidentals (billing, payment, customr support, etc.).
    7. Sophia - A new site w/ a very innovative/polished look where educators can share what they know via different teaching strategies (ie, blended instruction, flipped classroom).
    8. Happy Tutors - Is a free place where tutors and students can go to find what they're looking for. Also, tutors can pay a fee for extra exposure on Happy Tutors.
    9. Tutor.com - One of the best and most popular places to go for online tutoring. Students can not only get help w/ any subject but homework as well. Also, there are nice mobility features as well.
    10. Tutor Vista - A very popular site where students work in a one on one secure environment on an interactive whiteboard.

    My Open Letter

    My Open Letter is a site I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is a wonderful site for students for creating and collaborating on a letter. A letter is created and then can be shared w/ others w/ a unique URL. Also, users have the ability to turn on/off comments which is a nice feature for education.

    I highly recommend checking out My Open Letter by clicking here!!

    YouTube Teachers

    YouTube Teachers is a site I found out about from a promotional email. This is a site that is geared to help teachers use educational videos in the classroom. Also, it shows teachers how to record themselves and implement video that way.

    Straight from their site (http://www.youtube.com/teachers)...

    Top 10 Ways to use YouTube in the Classroom
    1. Spark Lively Discussions - Engage students by showing a video relevant to their lives.
    2. Organization - Create playlist to help guide students through their viewing process of educational videos.
    3. Archive your Work - Engage students by showing a video relevant to their lives.
    4. Allow Students to Dig Deeper into a Subject - Allow students to create a playlist to better dissect a subject.
    5. Get struggling students up to speed, and push strong students ahead - Students can use YouTube at home to learn at their own speed.
    6. Review for Upcoming Exams - Turn test review and flashcards into easy-to-watch videos. This way students can hear your explanations as they study.
    7. Create a YouTube Center in your Classroom - When working in stations or centers, have students use your YouTube channel to complete an assignment, freeing you up to work with small groups of students.
    8. Create quizzes to accompany videos for instant feedback - Create a Google Form that students complete after watching a video.You can use this quiz to get instant feedback on what they're learning.
    9. Create Interactive Video Quests - Use YouTube Annotations to create "Choose Your Own Adventure" style video quests.
    10. Flip your Classroom - If your students watch a video of the basic concepts at home you can focus in class on applying those concepts, working collaboratively with their classmates rather than simply listening to you lecture.
    I highly highly recommend checking out YouTube for Teachers by clicking here!!!

    For my top 10 YouTube goodies click here.

    SimpleMeet.Me

    SimpleMeet.Me is a site I found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is a simple (ha) site for creating a private chat. This is done by sharing a unique code w/ others that lets them enter a private room for chatting.

    I recommend checking out SimpleMeet.Me by clicking here!!

    For my top 10 sites for creating a back channel chat click here.

    Notefish

    Notefish is an excellent site for taking notes of web content. A user can grab any content from a web page and add it to their own notefish page. Also, a user can: drag-n-drop, color, tag/annotate, etc etc. Once a page is done it can be shared w/ others online.

    I highly recommend checking out Notefish by clicking here!!

    For my top 10 sites for note taking click here.

    Nabbber

    Nabbber is a fun site that lets users learn foreign words together. This is done in sharing "web 2.0" community, that allows others to upload/collaborate on words together.

    I recommend checking out Nabbber by clicking here!!

    Tuesday, September 20, 2011

    Encalc

    Encalc is a nice free scientific calculator. Not only can user see the results and graph, but they can embed the calculator into a site/blog.

    I recommend checking out Encalc by clicking here!!

    For a nice graphing calculator check out FooPlot.

    Study Stack

    Study Stack is an excellent site for creating flash cards. Also, a user can search through pre-made flashcards to find what's best for them. Another great feature are the educational games a user can play to help them study. There is a nice mobile app which works nice too for the users who prefer using mobile devices.

    I highly recommend checking out Study Stack by clicking here!!

    Highlighter

    Highlighter is an excellent site that allows readers to annotating, highlight, comment, and share any text on your site. Another nice feature is the analytics that allows user to track exactly what people are reading on their site (ie, commens, shares, etc).

    I highly recommend checking out Highlighter by clicking here!!

    For my top 10 sites on bookmarking and annotating click here.