cool-tools

FreeTech4Teachers is a blog run for years by Richard Byrne, a teacher in Maine. Subscribers get a daily e-mail or social media message with interesting apps and classroom uses (often with examples). FT4T is also searchable.

PowToon is an online business presentation software tool that allows you to create free, cool, and awesome animated video explainers as an alternative to using powerpoint.

Magazine devoted to educational technology. Good resource for staying up to date on some of the latest edtech trends and issues.

I found an online program call Groupboard Collaborative Whiteboard. This program allows up to five individuals to collaborate on a whiteboard online. It can be used on the computer, iPad, or Android. Up to fifty people can participate in Groupboard, but it will cost $9.99 a month. This would be a good program to incorporate in the classroom for small groups. There is a chat feature that enables students to converse in the private chat room. Students would be able to work on projects outside the classroom using this program to communicate. "It's a desperately needed tool for online learning and you have done a remarkable job at making it flexible and affordable" - Jeremy Nash @ class.com "Groupboard is the app we have had the most success with...very affordable for the features it offers" - Nathan Stevens @ncsu.edu Groupboard is a free online whiteboard that you can place on your web page by simply copying a few lines of HTML code.

Have you all checked this out? Here's the blurb from their site: "Easy to customize. No coding.50,483,006 users and growing. Select a Template 100s of fully customizable HTML5 templates available in every category.Choose yours and create something totally original. Over 45,000 new people join every day Wix gives you everything you need to create a stunning free website, right at your fingertips.We make it fun to create your own site - it's hassle-free, and you don't need any coding skills." I can imagine teaching students all about audience awareness and purposeful communication while having them develop websites. I think I'm going to register and give it a shot. I'll let you know what comes of it!

Google sites is a free way to create and share webpages. Info can be shared with students and parents via websites created through Google Sites.

A community that shares technology news, ideas, and tools for education.

Chatterpix can make anything talk - your pets, your friends, your doodles, and more! Take your own picture or use one you have already taken. You can draw a line to make a mouth, and record your voice. Then share your Pix with friends and family as silly greetings, playful messages, or creative cards.

Knovio is a tool to make voice over presentations, right from your computer or iPad. Simply upload your PowerPoint slides, record video or audio commentary and share it publicly or privately. Tutorial: http://watch.knowledgevision.com/381879f3a41f417482039394ee02b49b

Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner is a blog run by Paul Hamilton who is a an assistive technology consultant on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Free tools are introduced, usually include tutorials or examples on posts. Similar tools will be suggested when type the key words on Search box.

Google Search is a tool that is commonly forgotten about because they have been around forever.  "Google it" has become the way of saying just do a web search.  I have taught my middle school students some of these skill when we started the research unit.  Using filters helps to tell the search helps to find only what you want to find.  I usually use "Garfield" and explain to the students what we are looking for. Google search allows for filters such as search sites, exact phrases, Dates, ect.  It is a powerful research tool for students and teachers.

This article is from Free Technology for Teachers; It is on Youtube.  It makes the significant point of sharing items that have been created.   Youtube can be a great place to find videos, however it can be a better place to put videos.  There are a variety of tools that you can use to create your videos, but there are a number of in "app" tools to help create and modify the videos.  With Youtube you can upload videos of your lessons, or student created assignments, ect.  Privacy settings can be modified and restricted; especially with GAFE settings.  It is a wonderful tool for speaking a listening standards within Language Arts curriculum.  

Excel is spreadsheet software, and a part of the Microsoft Office suite. With a leap of 27 places, Excel moves back up the list again.

Tools, strategies, videos, and blogs about ideas that help to improve the educational experience.

app to keep track of the stuff you lend.

VocabGrabber is a visual organizer  to display synonyms of a word in a graphic way.  This visual Thesaurus could be helpful in introducing new vocabulary and terms to students in the classroom, and later for students to find alternative words when writing.