List.ly

I had the recent pleasure of trying out List.ly and am blown away by what I've seen.  This is a site that is great for curating the web into a list and then voting/commenting on each item.  This makes lists very interactive and a nice alternative to Pinterest.  Also, List.ly is very easy to use and great for sharing content.

I highly recommend checking out List.ly by clicking here!!!

Below is my list on Web 2.0 sites for Education, feel free to vote/comment on which site you feel is best!!!

Boom Writer: A Closer Look

Boom Writer is a site I've blogged about in the past and am very impressed with.  This is a wonderful, free, innovative site, to not only spark creativity through the creation of writing a collaborative book, but also ignite the joy of reading through assessing peers works.  Also, BW is designed for grades 4th-12th.  In simple terms Boom Writer lets students create a book one chapter a time by having them: write, read, and vote.  All of this is done in a friendly, engaging school/class competition that takes place in a safe environment and is CIPA/COPPA compliant.

To get started is very simple.  A teacher would signup their school and create an admin account.  Once an account is created they can add a school logo and invite students to join.  Students need to register w/ an email account and get their parents/guardian's approval.  Teachers are supplied w/ a Boom Writer email address to be able to find out latest news/updates from BW.  Also, a teacher has access to a wonderful quick start book (PDF) to help them integrate Boom Writer into their class, as well as a free teacher's manual.  There are also wonderful video tutorials to help w/ this process too.

Another feature that makes Boom Writer so great is how user friendly the teacher dashboard is.  The teacher dashboard consists of:

• Students Tab - This is where teachers can manage students (approve/deny membership), view grade level, points, entries, wins, votes, etc.  FYI, each chapter in a book on Boom Writer is considered a competition that students get to vote on.
• Books - Area to see which books are being created and their status.
• Story Starts - This is a great place for teachers to find first chapters of books to start a competition. It almost acts like a writing prompt for students.  They would read the first chapter and then continue on writing their own and submit them to be voted on.
• Manage School - A place to invite another teacher.
• Moderation - The ability to approve/deny any submission by a student.  This is vital for CIPA compliance.

To engage students there are lots of nice features for them as well, such as:

• Points - When a student creates an account they get to create their own avatar/BoomWriter.  Students achieve points by having their chapters voted on.  With these points students can use them to purchase virtual merchandise for their avatar.
• Voting - A great way for students to read and assess the writing of other students.  They can vote on a chapter as many times as they like but not on their own submission.
• Get Published - A finished book can be published and purchased for $9.99.
• Writing Club - Boom Writer offers a writing club for a paid subscription that allows students to enter competitions from around the world, access celebrity authors, and more.

I've seen sites before for collaborative writing but nothing quite like this.  Boom Writer offers a safe environment for students to compete (by entering chapters they've written), vote/assess (other student's work), and get published.

I highly highly recommend checking out Boom Writer by clicking here!!!

*Boom Writer is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

More Pinterest Resources

Rather then continuing to post once I finished created a board, I have decided to wait till I had a bunch of them done and post all at once.  I hope you enjoy browsing through this visually engaging educational repository.

• Web Curators
• Online Tutoring/Teaching
• Blogging Platforms for Education
• Educational Resources
• Mobile Phones in Education

SonicPics

SonicPics is a wonderful iPhone/iPod/iPad app ($2.99) for adding a voice to pictures.  This is great for education and ideal for digital storytelling.  Also, this is a very user friendly app to use.  All a person has to do is download the app, open up a new project and then add photos or take pics from their mobile device and record their voice.  Once a story is told it can then be exported as a .m4v file and shared w/ others via YouTube or email.

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

Applicable2U

Applicable2U is a nice site for finding reviews for educational apps for the iPad and iPod Touch.  These reviews are very detailed in nature and can be searched for by category.

I recommend checking out Applicable2U by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for finding educational apps, click here.

Cramlr

Cramlr is a new (private beta) social network designed for teaching and sharing knowledge.  For those teachers that decide to create a online course they can make money from students who take them.  Also, this is a nice place to gain knowledge and share resources.

I recommend checking out Cramlr by clicking here.

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

Deco Sketch

Deco Sketch is a new site/app that a person can use to make digital art.  It's very easy to use and a person has lots of different options to choose from, such as: gradient, shapes, backgrounds, etc.

I recommend checking out Deco Sketch by clicking here!!

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

Top 10 Sites for Curating the Web

With the amount of information that is available on the internet it is important (especially for teachers) to filter through the news/sites to find relevant information in a timely manner.  As a blogger I feel that we "curate' the web automatically to help keep things organized and be able to convey information in as detailed and easy way as possible.  Now w/ the addition of specific websites people can curate the web and save information on their own while sharing this vital information w/ others.

Top 10 Sites for Curating the Web

1. Pinterest - A relatively new site that is growing at a record pace.  It's easy to use, ideal for curating the web (by saving/sharing favorite sites), and visually engaging for users.  There's lots of potential for education as it is being used by educators everywhere.
2. Bag the Web - Bag the Web is a great site for curating the web into "bags".  With their educational portal, teachers and students can share resources, collect information for assignments, embed them into a site, and more.
3. MentorMob - A site that has been getting quite a bit of press on Twitter lately, is one of the best around for curating the web into "playlists".  These playlists can contain different types of media such as: video, articles, pictures etc.  Once these playlists are created they can be rated and shared w/ others.
4. List.ly - A wonderful site for curating sites into an interactive list that can be commented and voted on.
5. Middlespot - Is a unique site that allows a user to browse the web and stick sites onto their "dashboard"  These dashboards can be edited and shared w/ others.  More features are available for a paid account.
6. Paper.li - A very popular site among bloggers and educators for creating an online newspaper out of their web content.  Best of all, once a "newspaper" is created Paper.li automatically updates the paper by monitoring news content.
7. Bundlr - A great way to organize the web into "bundles".  These bundles can contain all sorts of media and then be shared w/ others in a grid or timeline view.
8. Scoop.it - A nice site for turning one's social media into a stunning looking digital magazine.  A very popular resource among educators on Twitter.
9. Searcheeze - Another fun site for curating web content (text, video, images, articles) and turning it into a digital magazine that can be shared w/ others.
10. Storify - A great site for telling social stories by curating web content through video, photos, and text.

Top Documentary Films

Top Documentary Films is a nice site that I just found out about from the blog, NCS-Tech.  This is a site where people can watch mostly free documentaries on any number of subjects.  A person can browse by category or type in their own search which is a nice feature too.

I recommend checking out Top Documentary Films by clicking here!!

For other sites for documentaries I recommend checking out:

• Documentary Tube
• DocumentaryZ
• John Locker

Search Engines - Pinterest

I have a created a board on Pinterest for search engines.  This is a work in progress as I had lots of sites to go through.  This will include a wide gambit of different content such as: video, clip art, images (I'll do a separate board for them), lesson plans, kid friendly).

I recommend checking out my board for search engines by clicking here.

Apprentus

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to this new (beta) site for finding online teachers.  Sign up and be invited to try out this new online community for finding teachers on any number of subjects.

For more information click here.

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

Chomp

Chomp is a excellent search engine for iOS apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android.  The results come in thumbnails w/ pics and a star rating as well as links to a review.  Also, a person can search for free apps as well.

I recommend checking out Chomp by clicking here!!

Yogome

Yogome is a new site for creating educational games.  These games focus on a variety of different subjects such as: English, Science, Creativity Thinking etc.  Also, these games are available for the iPad and iPhone.

I recommend checking out Yogome by clicking here!!

View the brief demo below...

   

Creating Digital Art - Pinterest

I have compiled a list of great online sites for creating digital art on Pinterest.  Some of these are for drawing and sketching, while other sites focus on painting and the use of shapes.  There are even some photo editing sites on here that are similar to Photoshop Elements.

I recommend checking out Creating Digital Art on Pinterest by clicking here!!

MentorMob

MentorMob is a new (alpha) site that has been quite a bit of buzz lately on Twitter.  This is a great site for creating and sharing "playlists" for curating the web.  This is a wonderful way to save time browsing the web and getting only relevant information.

I highly recommend checking out MentorMob by clicking here.

For another nice curating website check out, Bag the Web.

My Resource Cloud

My Resource Cloud is a site I just found out about from Twitter.  This is a cloud based service for teachers for finding educational resources.  This site covers a wide variety of subjects and offers more resources for a paid account tailored to each individual.  Web 3.0 anyone?

I recommend checking out My Resource Cloud by clicking here.

PresentationTube

PresentationTube is a new site and desktop app (for Windows) for creating presentations and then uploading them to a site.  The desktop recorder looks like a nice app for creating a presentation that can include images, text, video, etc.  Also, it can be embedded into a site or blog.

I recommend checking out PresentationTube by clicking here!!

Electrokite

Electrokite is a excellent site for integrating interactive whiteboard lessons into your curriculum.  This is a place where you EK will help you design a lesson for your whiteboard or where you can sign up and try out for free 10 of their lessons.   They also have lots of apps to choose from for a whiteboard.

I highly recommend checking out Electrokite by clicking here!!

Scribble Press

Scribble Press is a free iPad app that I just found out about for digital storytelling.  This is a great app because it allows a student to create a story by selecting a theme and then filling in a few blank words (think mad libs).  Then the child can create a picture to go along w/ the story and share it w/ others.

I highly recommend checking out Scribble Press by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out Teachers w/ Apps.

Digital Storytelling Sites & Apps - Pinterest

Again, Pinterest is making it very easy to share content in a visual way.  Plus, w/ the ability to leave comments it has generated lots of collaboration among my followers.  I have created a board w/ sites and apps for digital storytelling.

To view my pinboard for digital storytelling sites & apps click here!!

ShowMe

ShowMe is a wonderful online community that I just found out about from a guest blogger on, Free Technology 4 Teaching.  "ShowMe's" are lessons that are created on a free iPad app that acts as an interactive whiteboard.  These lessons can then be viewed/shared/embedded on the ShowMe online community.

I highly recommend checking out ShowMe by clicking here!!

PhyFun

PhyFun is a great site for physics based games educational games for kids.  These games focus on levers, objects, and more.  Also, there are lots of walkthroughs and hints on the games as well.

I recommend checking out PhyFun by clicking here.

Side by Side

Side by Side is a wonderful nifty little iPad app that splits the viewing a browsers viewing screen.  A user can control how big/small a screen is by sliding a cursor around.  This is very handy when wanting to look at two different sites on the web at once.  Also, there is Dropbox support as well, so a user can browse the web in window and a file in the other.

I recommend checking out Side by Side by clicking here!!

Playfic

Now here is a site designed after my own heart!!  It is a online community where members can create, play, and share in text based games (Zork anyone!!).  While I'm not sure how filtered this site is, I do like it for it's educational potential.  A person can learn programming, interactive storytelling, and more.

I recommend checking out Playfic by clicking here!!

Student Route

Student Route is a new social network designed specifically for students.  This helps HS and College students connect and collaborate through group discussions.  This is a great place for students to share content, resources, etc in a spam free environment.

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

See also, Dweeber.

Web 2.0 ERC

Web 2.0 ERC (European Resource Center) is a great place for teachers wanting to learn how to integrate web 2.0 technologies into their teachers.  Also, this is a nice place for education resources, PDF's, learning strategies, and more.

I highly recommend checking out Web 2.0 ERC by clicking here.

Social Networks for Education - Pinterest

Once again I have decided to compile a list of educational resources and post them to a board in Pinterest.  I have done a top (20 social networks in education in the past), but there were a bunch that were left out.  So, on this "board" I have included all the educational networks I could find.

To view my Social Networks for Education Pinterest board click here!!

Votesolved

Votesolved is an interesting social network that is designed to answer questions and FAQ's around technical issues.  It does have some nice collaboration among popular educational devices such as: smart phones and hardware issues.

I recommend giving Votesolved a try by clicking here.

Kwiqpoll

Kwiqpoll is a nice little site for creating a simple poll and fast.  A user just enters the question and answers and then shares the link.

I recommend checking out Kwiqpoll by clicking here.

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip.

For my top 10 sites for creating a survey or poll click here.

Educational Online Games - Pinterest

Being a blogger who specializes in Ed Tech resources Pinterest is becoming a easy and viable option for sharing resources.  I feel it is my responsibility to share these tools w/ educators anyway I can.  If that means through the use of my: mobile app, Twitter, FB, Plurk, Pinterest, etc.  I'll do my best to do it.

To access my board for excellent sites for online educational games, click here!!

Web 2.0 for Schools - Pinterest

Well, it looks like I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and had to give it a fair chance.  I must admit after playing w/ it for a few hours I'm pretty impressed.  It is very easy to create a board and then "pin" anything from the web.  Others can view your boards or (depending on your setting) can even "pin" things to them as well.  It makes for a nice visual way to share resources in a social network type setting.

I created a board of my favorite web 2.0 resources (44) that you can view by clicking here!!

Pult

Pult is a nifty little site that I just found out about from David Andrade's blog.  This site allows a person's smart phone to stream videos, presentations, etc. to any web enabled device (think smart tv for a giant display).  It's rather easy to use, just go to Pult's website on a smart phone, enter the 4 digit code and hit connect.  That's it.

I recommend checking out Pult by clicking here.

Below is a brief demo...


Pult from Pult on Vimeo.

Worth Ave. Group

Worth Ave. Group is a company well known for insuring electronic devices for education.  Most districts that I know of use WAG to insure their 1 to 1 laptops or iPads.  Also, they have lots of educational giveaways and will be giving out the new iPad 3 when it becomes available (no purchase necessary).

I highly recommend checking out Worth Ave. Group by clicking here!!

WAG is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Chalkable

Chalkable is a new site that I found out about on Twitter from Audrey Watters.  This is an ambitious new site that reminds me of a cross between Powerschool (for grading, attendance taking, parent/student portals, etc) and an App store.  For me, the coolest feature is this App store which is a one stop shopping place for schools when needing to purchase educational apps.

For more info and pics click here!!

For my top 10 sites for finding educational apps click here.

PollHut

PollHut is a nice site for creating on polls or surveys.  This is done via a simple user interface, where a person can create a multiple choice question and add a picture.  The poll can be set to public or private and even allowed to let other users add to it.  My only gripe would be the ability to embed a poll into a site but a person can only share it w/ a unique URL.

I recommend checking out PollHut by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for creating a survey or poll click here.

Spelling City

Spelling City is one of the best sites out there for vocabulary and spelling help.  This site through the use of a teacher portal allows for: student creation (no email address necessary), student tracking, reporting, word list creation, etc.  These games are educational and help students learn and retain the meanings of words while improving their spelling.

I highly recommend checking out Spelling City by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review click here.

Spelling City is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Gamestar Mechanic

Gamestar Mechanic is a wonderful site to teach kids how to design their own games.  Designing games builds up a lot of educational skill such as: problem solving, storytelling, and 21st Century Skills.  There are different account options for teachers, but paid versions offers more features and student tracking.

I highly recommend checking out Gamestar Mechanic by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out iLearn Technology.

Fifty Sneakers

Fifty Sneakers is a site I just learned about from the award winning Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This looks to be a great site for creating online quizzes.  These quizzes are then automatically graded by predetermined data setup by the teacher.  Also, being part of an online community educators can search/share for other resources.

I recommend checking out Fifty Sneakers by clicking here!!

Kubbu

Kubbu is a site I reviewed around 3 yrs ago (click here) that I decided to revisit, and am very glad that I did.  This is a site for online teaching that a teacher can sign up for free and create student accounts w/out needing an email address.  This is ideal for CIPA/COPPA compliance where teachers can monitor everything students are doing and where students don't need an email address to sign up.

A teacher can create up to 30 student accounts and store 15 online activities at a time.  These activities could be quizzes, crosswords, games, etc and a teacher can view and analyze their results at any time.  Also, Kubbu has wonderful resources and shared activities that teachers can search through as well as lots of screen shots to view.

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

Gnowledge

Gnowledge is one of my favorite sites for creating quizzes.  This is all done through a very easy user interface and is done in an online community.  This allows for users to collaborate w/ others, share quizzes, store online, etc.  Also, there are wonderful online tutorials to help teachers get started.  Finally, Gnowledge has a variety of free give-aways where a person can win a new iPad 3 (when it becomes available) or an iPhone 4S (view here).

I highly recommend checking out Gnowledge by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review click here.

Gnowledge is a paid advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

enThread

enThread is a simple site for editing a photos.  Through drag-n-drop a user just uploads a photo and then edit the follow features: brightness, colors, hue, filters, etc.

I recommend checking out enThread by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for photo editing click here.

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for the tip.

Comments4Kids

Comments4Kids is an ambitious site/blog that I found out about through Google+.  This is a site designed to find blogs for students & teachers to comment on and get posts on their own.  Also, this site goes over good etiquette and rules for leaving comments.  This is important when having to abide by CIPA/COPPA compliance.

I highly recommend checking out Comments4Kids by clicking here.

For my top 10 blogging solutions for education click here.

Google Apps for the iPad

Google Apps for the iPad is a wonderful site that I found out about on Twitter.  This site breaks down exactly what Google products have apps and how best it can be used.  There is an effective chart that shows how Google Docs can be used on an iPad since their is no app.  Also, there are suggestions for other apps that integrate nicely w/ Google Docs.

I highly recommend checking out Google Apps for the iPad by clicking here!!!

Word Cloud Generator

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog, I found out about a new animated Word Cloud generator.  What I like about it, is that the site supplies you w/ the embed code (it is a bit robust) which allows users to customize it and use the generator anyway they see fit.

Give Jason Davies Word Cloud generator a try by clicking here.

For my top 10 word cloud generators click here.

Pipe Dreams

Pipe Dreams is a blog I just became aware through Twitter which is written by educator, Zoe Branigan-Pipe.  This is a wonderful blog that is ideal for technology integration as well as lots of great insights on leading technology trends such as social media and networking.

I highly recommend checking out Pipe Dreams by clicking here!!

DimensionU

DimensionU is a site I've blogged about in the past that is a wonderful educational gaming site.  This site offers a innovative 3D virtual world that allows user to practice and strengthen their math skills.  Best of all there is an educational portal which allows teachers lots of options such in depth game reports and more.

I highly recommend checking out DimensionU by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review click here.

DimensionU is a paid advertiser for Technology Tidbits.

Cackleberries

Cackleberries is a fun educational site for kids ages 3-7 yrs old.  This site takes place in an online virtual world called Oville.  In this safe environment kids can play games, read along w/ books, and more.  This is really a great site to help students w/ many subject areas such as reading, math, art, etc.

I highly recommend checking out Cackleberries by clicking here!!

Below is a brief demo...

Teachers w/ Apps

Teachers w/ Apps is a site I've covered before in the past and put as one of the Top 10 places to find educational apps.  After collaborating w/ them a bit, I wanted to give them another shout out to those looking for educational apps.  From their site, "Our goal is to be a credible resource for quality educational apps. This site was created to help parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators and anyone else, wade through the vast number of  ”educational” apps being introduced on a daily basis. Teachers With Apps was founded by two lifelong educators and is dedicated to the idea that quality mobile educational apps are the tools of the future but they need to be used responsibly. Remember, not all educational apps are created equal.  Also, TWA has very detailed reviews w/ pics and nice section for app videos as well.


I highly recommend checking out Teacher w/ Apps by clicking here!!

Digital Classroom

Recently, I received an email from one of my readers sharing a wonderful infographic that shares a "digital classroom".  This graphic focuses on textbooks vs ebooks, tablets, and more.

I highly recommend checking out the infographic below...


Via:

19 Pencils

19 Pencils is a site I blog about quite often.  It is really one of the best places online to share educational content.  This is ideal for teachers who through the use of an educational portal can create an online class w/ student tracking and assign quizzes, assignments, share links, etc.  It really is an all in one solution for education.

I highly recommend checking out 19 Pencils by clicking here!!!

19 Pencils is a paid advertiser for Technology Tidbits.

Spelling Connections

Spelling Connections is a wonderful site that for spelling and vocab that I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo's blog.  This has an educational portal that focuses on vocabulary, proof-reading, and spelling through the use of educational games.

I highly recommend checking out Spelling Connections by clicking here!!

For another excellent site for spelling and vocab check out Spelling City.

Top 10 Apps for Digital Storytelling

A while back I did a post on top sites for Digital Storytelling.  This has been a skill that is being taught in school districts all around the world, and is a key for developing technology literacy.  With the recent wave of mobile devices and technologies, a giant step has been taken in how students develop these skills (via touch screen) in a brand new way .

Top 10 Apps for Digital Storytelling

1. Toontastic - A wonderful free iPad that allows children to create animated cartoon stories.  They can choose from stock characters or draw their own while animating them and recording their voice for narration.  Also, w/ Toontastic's built in story arc it takes students step by step up on how to create a story.
2. i Tell a Story - A excellent free iPad that works very similarly to how Garageband creates a podcast. A user uploads a photo and then can record their voice for narration while adding stock sound effects.
3. Voice Thread App - A great free iPad/iPhone app that compliments the Voice Thread very nicely for storytelling.  A user can manage their Voice Thread account as well as make digital stories by uploading photos and drawing/recording their voice.
4. Story Patch - Is a iPad app ($2.99) that is ideal for digital storytelling.  A person can create a story from scratch or use one of their well designed templates to complete all the parts of a story.
5. Sock Puppets - A free iPad/iPhone app that is a lot of fun for kids to create animated stories.  This is done by selecting your sock, background, and props and then recording your voice as the socks talk.
6. Art Maker - A wonderful free iPad app that allows children to create a digital story from scratch.  A user selects their background, characters, and props and then moves them around the screen while recording.
7. Puppet Pals - A excellent free iPad app that lets users create a story by adding characters or their own photos to a selected background.  Once the scene is a setup a person can move the characters around while recording their voice.
8. Storyrobe - A fun little iPad/iPod/iPhone app ($.99) that allows a user to upload a photo and then record their voice for narration.
9. Strip Designer - An app ($2.99) similar to Comic Life for the iPad/iPhone/iPod.  A user can create a digital comic by selecting a layout, adding pics, and then stickers and speech bubbles to enhance their digital story.
10. Comic Book - Another digital comic creator app ($1.99) for the iPad/iPhone/iPod that is similar to Strip Designer.  A person selects their layout, adds their photos, select some effects/stickers/speech bubbles for their finished product.

Others: StoryKit, Cartoon Studio, Comic Life

Bag the Web

Bag the Web is a great site for curating the web and then sharing it w/ others.  This is done by collecting links, videos, presentations, and then adding them to your "bag".  These bags can then be shared w/ others,  linked together, or even embedded into a site.  Best of all, Bag the Web has an educational portal for finding and sharing educational content.

I highly recommend checking out Bag the Web by clicking here!!