Power Up Learning
If you've made it to this point in the website, you've already deduced that technology plays a key role in the way I choose to design learning experiences for my students. Today, it's as natural as breathing for me to embed techonology into every learning initiative, in every discipline, in every grade. It is a central tool for learning and communication. And it's a vital tool for the inquiry and maker philosophies that are foundational to my instructional designs.
The tools that I teach my students to use have to be accessible and user friendly. The good news is that there is a whole universe of free and open source software, available---anywhere, any time, to power up learning for students. Below is a list of favorites assembled by my friend and Adobe Education colleague, Deborah Hargroves. You can also click here to go to a website that I created entirely with free, cool software.
The tools that I teach my students to use have to be accessible and user friendly. The good news is that there is a whole universe of free and open source software, available---anywhere, any time, to power up learning for students. Below is a list of favorites assembled by my friend and Adobe Education colleague, Deborah Hargroves. You can also click here to go to a website that I created entirely with free, cool software.
The Internet is loaded with free, fabulous resources that help teachers accomplish
many tasks. But there's also a lot of junk out there. Never fear. The library
lady is here to help you plow through this vast repository to select the best
tools to power up learning for your students.
86 GREAT TECH TOOLS FOR TEACHERS-
In order to help educators integrate technology effectively, this Web site features
a list of technology tools focused on specific learning goals. Unlike other
lists that simply promote “cool tools,”yet leave teachers wondering about
purposeful educational integration, this list is driven by specific learning
goals that promote critical-thinking, creativity, collaboration, and
community-mindedness. For example, if this is your learning goal: "I want my
students to publish their writing online for others to read."then simply go to
this site, click on that goal, and it will take you directly to tools you can
use to accomplish your goal.
General Tools-
Website
& Blogs
Interesting
Projects
Audio-
Imaging-
Slide
Shows & Video-
many tasks. But there's also a lot of junk out there. Never fear. The library
lady is here to help you plow through this vast repository to select the best
tools to power up learning for your students.
86 GREAT TECH TOOLS FOR TEACHERS-
In order to help educators integrate technology effectively, this Web site features
a list of technology tools focused on specific learning goals. Unlike other
lists that simply promote “cool tools,”yet leave teachers wondering about
purposeful educational integration, this list is driven by specific learning
goals that promote critical-thinking, creativity, collaboration, and
community-mindedness. For example, if this is your learning goal: "I want my
students to publish their writing online for others to read."then simply go to
this site, click on that goal, and it will take you directly to tools you can
use to accomplish your goal.
General Tools-
- Jing
- screen capturing tool - http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html - File
conversion tool - http://www.filewiggler.com/ - Worldwide
Telescope- a Virtual Observatory - http://www.worldwidetelescope.org - Vocabulary
builder - gotbrainy.com - Virtual
corkboard (for notes) - http://corkboard.me - Record
screenshots - www.owely.com - Edmodo
- Social network for education - edmodo.com - Edutopia's Top Ten Tips for Teaching with
New Media - Diigo
- http://www.diigo.com (sign up
for educator account) - Google
Docs - available with GMail (lots of cool programs - forms, spreadsheets,
drawings, presentations, etc.)
https://docs.google.com - Free
Technology Teacher's Guides - http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/ - Windows
Live - http://download.live.com/ - Public
Library Free Audiobooks Download -
http://www.liveoakpl.org/about/download-audio-books.php - Free
Ebooks & Audiobooks - Gutenberg Project -
http://www.gutenberg.org - Convert
webpages to pdf - http://pdfcrowd.com/ - Save
online videos to MPEG - http://www.savevid.com/ - PC
Timer - http://dan.hersam.com/software/snaptimer - LiveBinders
-www.livebinders.com - Doodle.com- find a time for
everyone to meet
Website
& Blogs
- Blogger
- Google’s popular and free blogging tool, is one of the quickest and
easiest to use. In workshops we often have teachers blogging in less than
ten minutes! - Edublogs
- Focused on creating a blogging platform for students and teachers,
Edublogs offers free WordPress blogs as well as the option to purchase
expanded services. - Google
Sites - Google Sites (free with any Google account) has
blogging-type functionality as well as other great features. (this
site is an example) - 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. - WordPress
- www.wordpress.org - Web
Matrix - http://www.microsoft.com/web/webmatrix/ - WebPlus
Starter Edition - www.serif.com - Weebly
- http://www.weebly.com/ - Banner
Maker - http://www.bannersnack.com/
Interesting
Projects
- Voicethread-
voicethread.com - Mr.
Coley's Site - http://www.mrcoley.com/index.htm - Glogster
for Education - http://edu.glogster.com/ - Foldplay
- kaleidocycle - http://foldplay.com/kaleidocycle.action - Wordle
- http://www.wordle.net/ - Tagxedo
http://www.tagxedo.com/ - EPals
- http://www.epals.com/ - JibJab
- www.jibjab.com - Record
your own video greeting cards - http://jalapenyo.com - Survey
Monkey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/ - Big
Huge Labs - http://www.bighugelabs.com/ - Google
Earth - http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html - Google
Earth Lit Trips - http://www.googlelittrips.org/ - Blogger
- http://www.blogger.com/home - Shutterfly
– http://www.shutterfly.com/ - Discovery
Education - http://school.discoveryeducation.com/ - Kathy
Schrock - http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/
Audio-
- Windows
Media Player – rip music- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/ - Audacity
- http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - Efficient
WMA Converter - http://www.wmamp3-converter.com/ - Create
Your Own Music Track - http://www.soundjunction.org - Simple
music maker - lab.andre-michelle.com - Songsmith
- 6 hours of use freehttp://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/songsmith/download.html - PowerPoint
sound tips - Copyright
Free Music - http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/free-music-resources.html
- http://www.freeplaymusic.com/
- www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free
- http://www.funsounds.com/
Imaging-
- Photo
Tips & Tricks-
http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/tips.asp
http://www.thedesignwork.com/basic-photography-tips-from-national-geographic/ - Artweaver
- (free version) http://www.artweaver.de/download-en/ - Pixlr
- http://pixlr.com/editor/ - Zoner
Photo Studio - http://free.zoner.com/ - Gimp
- http://www.gimp.org/ - Paint.net
- http://www.getpaint.net/ - Picasa
- www.picasa.google.com - Photo
Gallery (Windows Live) - http://download.live.com/photogallery?wa=wsignin1.0 - Microsoft's
Pro Photo Tools 2- www.microsoft.com/prophoto/
Slide
Shows & Video-
- Vimeo
- free video sharing site - www.vimeo.com - Vimeo
Video Production Lessons - http://vimeo.com/videoschool - Free
PowerPoint to Video Converter - http://www.ispringfree.com/download.html - Video
format converter & DVD burner - http://www.freemake.com/free_video_converter/ - Video
converter - http://www.downloadwindows7software.com/software/winfx-video-converter.html - Video
Editing - Jaycut - http://jaycut.com/ - Smilebox
- www.smilebox.com - Prezi
-The Zooming Presentation Editor - www.prezi.com (free
educator account) - Trip
Wow! -http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow - Movie
Maker - http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/windows_movie_maker.aspx?WT.mc_id=moviemakerguide_google - Animoto
- http://animoto.com/education - PhotoStory
-http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=11132