10 Sites for Creating Graphic Organizers

"A graphic organizer, also known as knowledge map, concept map, story map, cognitive organizer, advance organizer, or concept diagram, is a communication tool that uses visual symbols to express knowledge, concepts, thoughts, or ideas, and the relationships between them.^[1] The main purpose of a graphic organizer is to provide a visual aid to facilitate learning and instruction.<sup>[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_organizer"  

Graphic Organizers are used daily in education for any curriculum to help teach any subject (i.e. mind maps, brainstorms, etc.)   Being a great learning tool for visual learners, websites have made it easy to make beautiful looking graphic organizers.


*This list is in alphabetically order</sup>

10 Sites for Creating Graphic Organizers

1. Exploratree - A great visual site for creating a mind map w/ lots of templates.
2. Mind42 - Nice collaborative mind mapping site w/ lots of templates and easy to use.
3. MindMeister - Beautiful looking mind mapping site w/ the ability to embed into a site or blog.
4. MindMup - A easy to use site for creating brainstorms or mind maps.
5. Mindomo - One of my favorite brainstorming apps that also lets a user flip their classroom, collaborate, comment, and much more.
6. Popplet - A excellent app that allows students to think and learn visually by brainstorming and mind mapping.
7. Storyboard That - A excellent site w/ educational portal that educators are using in a variety ways, such as creating timelines, storyboards, graphic organizers (t-charts, grids, etc.), and more.
8. TotSplash - A fun site for creating and organizing ideas into a brainstorm or mind map.
9. Webspiration Classroom - From the creators of Inspiration a very popular web based program for creating visual brainstorms that can then be turned into an outline w/ a click of a button. 
10. WiseMapping - a great site for creating visual mind maps and brainstorms.

Super Teacher Worksheets

Super Teacher Worksheets is absolutely one of my favorite sitse for finding worksheets and printables in a wide variety of subjects.  Also, this is a great site for finding other educational resources such as: custom puzzle/worksheet/crosswords generators, Smart Board files, and more.  Almost every resource at STW is aligned to Common Core Standards and very easy to use.

I highly recommend checking out Super Teacher Worksheets by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.

*Super Teacher Worksheets is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

30hands Learning

30hands Learning is the excellent company for creating an innovative LMS (Learning Management System) as well as the popular mobile iOS apps that are ideal for digital storytelling (30hands Starter (free), 30hands Pro (paid)).  The 30hands community is a perfect cloud based solution that allows educators to: manage/track students, hand in/out assignments, sched
ule events, and more.  While the mobile apps are being used in education for project based learning, digital storytelling, and more.

30hands has lots of exciting news on the horizon...

This Fall, we will be adding new functionality to 30hands Pro based on user feedback. At the same time, we will have to impose some limits on the free Starter version in order to be able to sustain the product. 

After upgrading to Pro, users will have access to existing advanced features and new features in the works:

• Video clips as slides

• Google Drive + Dropbox Integration

• Importing of Google Slides and PDFs as 30hands slides

• Backgrounds and scenes

• Higher quality videos

• Advanced drag-and-drop drawing with editing (Aug 2015)

• Slide sharing with parents and students (Fall 2015)

• Slide Transitions (Fall 2015)

• Unlimited presentations

• Unlimited saves to Camera Roll

Districts that purchase 30hands Pro will get free or discounted professional development (depending on licenses purchased). The PD can be onsite or virtual and selected from our areas of expertise: Digital Storytelling, PBL, Blended Learning, Teaching Coding, and Teaching Entrepreneurship. 

30hands Learning is putting 20% of the net sales of 30hands Pro toward helping kids without hands get a 3D dream hand. Your students can help by printing a hand, assembling a hand, designing a hand, telling a story or buying 30hands Pro.

For more info on how your school can participate, email info@30hands.com.

Join our newsletter here: http://30hands.com/newsletter.

*30hands Learning is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Otus

Otus is a innovative new mobile learning system for the iPad.  This is an excellent free easy to use tool that educators around the world are using to seamlessly integrate technology into their classroom.  W/ the free iPad app educators can track assignments, assess students, poll, browse the web, take attendance, and more.  It is a complete all-in-one solution for the mobile learning environment.  Educators can even "flip" a lesson for at home instructions.  Also, the simple to use split-screen allows students to take notes while working on assignments.

*Now for any browser based device.

Below is a brief demo video...



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

*Otus is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Prodigy

Prodigy is a fantastic free online Math game that is ideal for Game Based Learning.  This super fun highly engaging game designed for grades 1st-8th and is aligned to Common Core Standards.  Best of all is the teacher portal which allows for educators to assess students and get instant real-time reporting.  Prodigy, even has a unique learning engine which allows the game to differentiate instruction and help students w/ areas they are struggling in.  Teachers can modify the game to suit their needs and select which skills their students need to focus on too.  Also, Prodigy is browser based and works on any device (i.e iPad or Chromebook).

*Prodigy is now for 7th-8th grade too!!!
** Prodigy has added thousands of questions covering more than 150 new Math skills!!

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

For more information on the latest news from Prodigy click here!!!

Below is a brief demo...



For my Pinterest board on Game Based Learning click here.

*Prodigy is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Chronicle

Chronicle is an amazing iPad app that helps educators harness and organize their best teaching methodologies.  This is done by "chronicling" a students' data and using it in a beneficial and meaningful way.  Chronicle is an all-in-one tool that teachers are using for classroom management, grading, assessing, and so much more.

Here are some of Chronicle's features...

1. Ideal for Reading and Writing Workshop conferring notes, but great for any subject

2. The ability to capture multiple pics, videos, and audio recordings within a note enables teachers to easily provide rich feedback, document student growth, share student achievements, and intervene for student needs.

3. The integrated grade book and traffic light system equip teachers with a means of formatively tracking unit goals, grades, report card descriptors, and more!

4. Many customizable features, including the option of associating any Common Core Standards with a class, if desired.

Below is a demo video...



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

*Chronicle is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits

Matific

Matific is a great site for finding educational resources for Math in grades K-6th.  These resources include videos, worksheets, activities, and more w/ an educational portal that allows educators to track student progress.  Also, teachers are using this to assess students performance in Math and differentiate instruction.  There is even a free mobile (iOS/Android) app for El Ed math games.

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

Click here for the iOS app.
Click here for the Android app.

For a more detailed review check out Edshelf.

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.

Bak to School Night with Seesaw

Back to School Night is a great time introduce Seesaw to families and get parents subscribed to their child’s journal! For all of our teachers in the Northern Hemisphere, we've put together a few tips and resources.

Before Back to School Night

1. Make sure each student has one piece of work in their journal. Need ideas? Students can …
   • Take a selfie and add voice recording “This year I hope to learn …”
   • Draw a self-portrait and add voice recording “My secret talent is …"
   • Take a photo of something interesting in the classroom and add a voice recording “I'm curious about this because …”
2. Print out the parent invite handouts for your class. Here's how. 

At Back to School Night

1. Project our Back to School Night webpage - OR - Customize our Parent Intro Presentation to explain how you'll use Seesaw this year.
2. Pass out the parent invite handouts. Make sure the correct handout goes to the correct parent.
3. Get parents signed up!

*Seesaw is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Mystery Word Town

Update - The most requested features from users is to add your own words to be able to customize the word lists in Mystery Word Town.  A user can even record their own voice to use in the game!!!

Mystery Word Town is the new game from Artigig Apps.  This mobile (iOS/Android) app follows the same familiar style as the Mystery Math Town games where a user has to travel through a town collecting letters to spell a word (instead of numbers to solve an equation).  Mystery Word Town features high replay value as students try to help the town's sheriff capture outlaws by spelling sight words.  They can interact w/ their environment and learn about the outlaws as they unlock new boards and characters.  Also, this game saves a user account that it makes it ideal for multiple users on the same device as well as the ability to select a users "game" level.

I highly recommend checking out Mystery Word Town by clicking here!!!

For more Artgig Apps click here.

For my Pinterest board on Game Based Learning click here.

Help Teaching

Help Teaching is an excellent site for educators, parents, and others looking for educational resources such as quiz/test creators, online assessments, or worksheets/printables.  These printables are for K-12 and cover a wide range of subjects.  Also, there is a test/virtual room where students can take online assessment and get results in real time.

I highly recommend checking out Help Teaching by clicking here!!!
For my Printerest Board on Educational Resources click here.

*Help Teaching is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Monster Math

Monster Math is an excellent iOS app/game for learning basic Math skills (i.e. addition, multiplication, etc.).  This is done through an engaging and fun game, as a student helps Maxx solve Math problems to find his friend Dextra.  Best of all, is the detailed reporting that allows

parents/teachers to track student's progress.  Also, Monster Math adjusts skill level based on a user's performance and differentiates instruction accordingly (ideal for self paced learning).  Finally, Monster Math has lots of replay value as there are lots of levels and worlds to explore, and is aligned to Common Core Standards.

I highly recommend checking out Monster Math by clicking here!!!
For a more detailed review check out Edshelf.

Below is a brief demo...

 Monster Math - Trailer from Roopesh Shenoy on Vimeo.

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

For another detailed review check out iLearn Technology's blog.

*Monster Math is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Back to School with Buncee

Buncee is the excellent learning tool that educators are using everywhere in many different ways.  This easy to use site/app has an educational portal that allows educator to create, manage, and monitor student accounts while assessing their content in real-time.  Teachers can use this in an abundance of ways from introducing a topic, digit storytelling, flipping a classroom, and much much more.

W/ many schools starting this week and next Buncee is a great way to integrate technology in a fun way and have students share what they did over the summer, introduce themselves, etc.

Below is a Back to School example...



For more ideas on how to use Buncee for Back to School projects click here!!!

*Buncee is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

GoClass

GoClass is a wonderful new (beta) site/app for flipping a classroom.  This is a fantastic solution for educators to be able to manage their classes/students and create dynamic lessons that can be shared on mobile devices.  Students can login to a session on their mobile device and then follow the lesson following the "show-explain-ask" method.  Teachers can then get instant real-time feedback on student engagement and learning as well as attendance.

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

*GoClass is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Spelling City

SpellingCity simply put is the best site around for all Vocabulary and Spelling needs.  It even has an educational portal that allows for student tracking and educators to add assignments/word lists to their students.  Also, there is a free mobile (iOS, Android, Kindle) that interacts w/ the web portal to allow mobile learning for students.  SC also has a wide variety of resources and videos, but allows teachers to create their own customized word lists and integrate them into educational games for their students.

Here's an example... "Homonyms, homophones and homographs can bring confusion to even adults and teachers! VocabularySpellingCity can help anyone master these word groups. For clarity, we've brought them all together on one page. It makes it easier to learn the difference among the three types of words using the definitions and homonyms, homophones and homographs examples below."

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

*SpellingCity is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Grandma's Preschool

Grandma's Preschool is a free iOS app for kids ages 3-6.  This is a fun animated app that has 11 educational games and videos for young learners.  Grandma's Preschool has lots of educational content that focuses on: counting, sight words, puzzles, coloring, shapes, and more.

I highly recommend checking out Grandma's Preschool by clicking here!!!

Storyboard That

Storyboard That is a fantastic Web 2.0 tool for digital storytelling w/ educational portal.  This portal allows for educators to create student accounts (even batch upload) and assign them to their class via a URL and unique code (i.e. ClassDojo).  Not only can and educator create, manage, adjust privacy settings, and more, they can create storyboard templates and assignments for their class.  Everything is COPPA compliant and very safe to use in an educational setting.

Storyboard That is a very easy tool to use w/ it's drag-n-drop interface and allows students to seamlessly create a storyboards by adding images, clip art, text, record narration, etc.  There is even a innovative slideshow button that turns storyboards into slideshows that easily allows for students or teachers to share their presentations up on a big screen.  A finished product can then be downloaded as a PDF, shared via a link, exported into a PPT, or embedded into a site/blog.

Best of all are the new "Teacher Guides" that are aligned to Common Core standards and contain plot diagrams, Q/A, character maps, and much much more.  Educators are using these for project based learning, digital storytelling, and in a number of different ways to assess student's learning on a project or story.

Also, a student/teacher has the ability to create timelines.  Once a timeline is created they then have the option to add a date, text, image, or select one of the many templates/styles of their choice (i.e web, t-chart, grid, etc.).  This is a simple and great way to make a timeline or graphic organizer.  Educators can use this to create templates and then have students fill it out online thr
ough Storyboard That's educational portal, making it a perfect tool to use for any subject or grade level.

*Just added support for Grid, T-Chart, and Frayer Models

I highly recommend checking out Storyboard That by clicking here!!!

*Storyboard That is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Mystery Math Museum

Now Free

Mystery Math Museum is the sequel educational iOS app from the hugely popular Mystery Math Town.  This is an excellent follow up to one of my favorite iOS Math apps for Game Based Learning.  As w/ the first game Mystery Math Museum is a big adventure that has students exploring 8 different museums in a eccentric town.  As they explore different museums they will have to solve basic Math problems that focus on skills such as: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  Also, this game allows for multiple accounts which is ideal for schools and has a fantastic parent/teacher section where different skills can be set.  This is ideal for Differentiated Instruction.  Finally, MMM has a very high replay value as there are lots of different objects to find and secrets to unlock to keep students coming back for more.

I highly recommend checking out Mystery Math Museum by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational iOS Apps click here.

For a brief demo view below....

Back to School with BoomWriter

BoomWriter the innovative site that allows educators to seamlessly integrate collaborative writing into their classroom has just released a free packet of goodies for teachers starting off their school year.  This packet includes desk labels, classroom posters, and door tags, to help liven up a classroom.

I highly recommend checking out BoomWriter's welcome back packet by clicking here!!

For more information on BoomWriter click here.

Below is a fun video on BoomWriter...



*BoomWriter is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Math Snacks

Math Snacks is an excellent site for educational games, animations, and more, for Math grades 3rd-7th.  This is a great learning tool to use w/ any Math curriculum and can help teachers differentiate instruction.  Also, this is a nice way to introduce Game Based Learning into the classroom.  Best of all are the abundance of teacher resources such as: lesson plans, teacher guides, etc etc, and all resources are aligned to Common Core Standards and available in Spanish.

Below is a brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out Math Snacks by clicking here!!!

For a more detailed review check out Graphite.

Answerables

Answerables is a wonderful new innovative site/game that is perfect for Game Based Learning (or more accurate Game Based Learning meets Learning Management System).  It reminds me of Second Life but geared more toward kids w/ their fantasy/SciFi environment.  The game takes place in the 3D virtual world of Answerables on a planet called Proxima, where the native Ansibles (students) encounter an alien race.

What makes this so great for education that is the safe/COPPA compliant environment that Answerables provides.  This is an ideal place for students to collaborate w/ others and develop their social learning skills.  Answerables provides windows (i.e. Second Life) to view the web, go on quests, etc.  The student dashboard allows students to track their quests, notifications, events, PODS (Personal Online Development Spaces), and more.

Educators can create a lesson/POD (manage permissions), create webquests, internet scave
nger hunts, host live events, and best of all "Gamify" their lesson.  This is great for introducing a new concept, guided/differentiated instruction, and even "Flipping" a classroom.  Also, teachers (parents too) can track/monitor student progress, share and view resources by collaborating w/ other educators, and even setup tutoring courses where they set their own rate.

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

Below is a brief demo that has to be seen to be believed...



For my Pinterest board on Game Based Learning click here.

*Answerables is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Brainscape

Brainscape is an excellent free iOS app/site for flashcards.  Brainscape's innovative "smart" flashcards works in timed intervals that a user rates on a scale of 1 to 5.  Brainscape then used an adaptive learning algorithm to differentiate instruction and display the flashcards that need more focus on.  This is a great way to learn difficult subjects and break down difficult concepts.

Below is a brief demo video...



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

TowerStorm

TowerStorm is a fantastic free iOS app/broswer based game for Game Based Learning in the subjects of Math and Literacy. As w/ any game created by the award winning company DimensionU, this game takes place in a multiplayer 3D virtual world.  Players can create their avatar and unlock special power ups as they immerse themselves in a fun 3D world while solving problems in Math/Literacy aligned to Common Core Standards.  Best of all, the game tracks a players score and generates detail reports as well as lets a player customize and select what problems they want to encounter (i.e. Algebra, Vocabulary, etc.).  Also, TowerStorm has high replay value as each game lasts only 5 minutes and has students trying to answer as many questions correct as they can while trying t
o score points by changing the color of rings on the Tower.

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

For more DimensionU games click here.

For my Pinterest board on Game Based Learning click here.
To find TowerStorm on Edshelf click here.

* DimensionU is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Trandori

Trandori is a rather interesting Kickstarter campaign for educators that introduces a new kind of search engine for interactive educational problems.  All search results are generated from user created content and it combines the best features of a LMS and CMS.  This is an ideal resource for self paced learning.

Below is a brief demo video...



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

For a more detailed review check out Edshelf.
For my Pinterest board on Educational Search Engines click here.

formative

formative is a new site for giving students quizzes/exercises and assessing them in real-time, that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  The way this works is an educator creates a class on formative and students join w/ a unique code (i.e. ClassDojo).  Once the student answers the quiz/questions, teachers get instant real-time results.  This is a great way for educators to assess students and differentiate instruction.

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

Outwhiz

Outwhiz is a free site/app (iOS, Android) for students K-8th learning Math or English.  This fun app has over 200+ exercises aligned to common core standards.  Best of all, Outwhiz tracks student projects and generates detailed reports for parents and educators.  Also, this is a great app for self paced learning and offers lots of motivations for students such as digital and "real" rewards, badges, and more.

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

Below is a brief demo...

Plotagon

Plotagon is an excellent app for digital storytelling that reminds me of the now defunct Xtranormal.  It's a super easy tool to use that lets students create a digital story by choosing a character and selecting and then typing their script.  Plotagon does the rest.  However, a user can also create their characters from scratch, add sound effects, and more.  Best of all, is the educational portal that allows educators to manage/create student accounts as well as "house" their animations/stories in a safe controlled environment.  Finally, educators are using Plotagon to help teach any subject and curriculum as well as for Project Based Learning and to "flip" their classroom.

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

For my Pinterest board on Digital Storytelling click here.

Chronicle

Chronicle is an amazing iPad app that helps educators harness and organize their best teaching methodologies.  This is done by "chronicling" a students' data and using it in a beneficial and meaningful way.  Chronicle is an all-in-one tool that teachers are using for classroom management, grading, assessing, and so much more.

Here are some of Chronicle's features...

1. Ideal for Reading and Writing Workshop conferring notes, but great for any subject

2. The ability to capture multiple pics, videos, and audio recordings within a note enables teachers to easily provide rich feedback, document student growth, share student achievements, and intervene for student needs.

3. The integrated grade book and traffic light system equip teachers with a means of formatively tracking unit goals, grades, report card descriptors, and more!

4. Many customizable features, including the option of associating any Common Core Standards with a class, if desired.

Below is a demo video...



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

Seesaw V. 2.0

Seesaw the wonderful free site/app (Android, iOS, etc) for students making digital portfolios has just released their biggest update so far.  Students can upload photos, videos, PDFs, or even create their own digital content for their portfolio.  Educators can manage, monitor, and organize student work in folders, flag items, and invite parents to view their student's work.

Here is a list of their new features in version 2.0...

• Seesaw is now fully supported on iOS, Android, Chromebooks, and computers with Firefox/Chrome.
• We’ve added support for Google sign in, so that older students can login with their existing Google account and access their Seesaw portfolio from anywhere.
• We’ve enabled likes and comments for students so that classes can use Seesaw as a place for peer feedback and review. Teachers can choose to enable these feedback options, or keep portfolios private.
  
  

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

Below is a brief demo video....

*Seesaw is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

ClassDojo Class Story

ClassDojo the mega popular positive reinforcement/behavior management system for schools has just launched their latest feature, Class Story.  Class Story allows educators to share their classroom stories via text or photos using ClassDojo's free site/app.  Posts are seen by connected parents and teachers can see when a post gets viewed.  This is a fantastic way to help parents keep engaged w/ their child's classwork.

To sign up to be a beta tester of Class Story click here!!!

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

*ClassDojo is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Apricot

Apricot is a site I covered awhile back that is a nice tool for educators/parents.  The way this works is educators sign up and create a class that students join through a code (i.e ClassDojo).  Once the class is created educators can then ask a question, the students respond in real-time, and then their parents get the results emailed to them.  Also, parents can join the same class as their child's w/ a unique login code.

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

For my Pinterest board on Web 2.0 click here.

NameCoach Directory Integration Service

NameCoach the innovative site for learning students names and how to pronounce them correctly has  just released their latest update, Directory Integration Service.  Directory Integration Service allows a district/school to embed a voice recording of your students' name pronunciation directly into your existing directory listings.

Here are some more benefits...

• Build a stronger community, promoting diversity and enhancing team relations. 
•  Encourages inclusion not just diversity
• Helpful in orientation and recruitment
• Helpful with Alumni relations
• Communication made easier across your institution
• Helps build student-faculty rapport
• Seamlessly integrate with our Commencement Service
• We make all of this secure, scalable and easy to deploy

I highly recommend checking out NameCoach's Directory Integration page for schools by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...



*NameCoach is an advertiser of TechnologyTidbits.