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Want to make exemplary rubrics in a short amount of time? Try RubiStar out! Registered users can save and edit rubrics online. You can access them from home, school, or on the road. Registration and use of this tool is free, so click the Register link in the login area to the right to get started now.

"Students who are passionate gamers can talk a blue streak about the virtual online worlds where they invest their free time and energy. Usually, of course, they get to play only when they're not at school. But why not bring gaming into the classroom? Could teachers tap that same passion to spark learning?"

The ClassMarker online testing website is a professional, easy to use online quiz maker that marks your tests and quizzes for you. You simply create your quizzes and your learners or business clients take them online.

"While every school knows the importance of safeguarding in our digital world, it's also important that they know and understand the most effective strategies to help safeguard their pupils online, both in and out of the classroom. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), have recently launched a framework which aims to highlight, across all key stages, the skills and knowledge children should have in order to feel safe, and act responsibly, online so that they are able to enjoy the online world."

This online tool converts the text on webpages to a downloadable MP3 to listen to quickly. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Use the buttons on the left to play this interactive whiteboard set of tools for some of the best things you can find for interactive whiteboards. This list was made by Theresa Allen and you should share it with all your teachers who use IWB's. GREAT games and tools. Thanks, Theresa.

Most computers come with some form of preloaded software that includes a package for creating presentations. There are however a range of alternatives and online apps available that have made an attempt to change, update or enhance the presentation format. As well as the standard tools I've included a range of alternatives here for you to explore.

"The History Engine is an educational tool that gives students the opportunity to learn history by doing the work-researching, writing, and publishing-of a historian. The result is an ever-growing collection of historical articles or "episodes" that paints a wide-ranging portrait of life in the United States throughout its history and that is available to scholars, teachers, and the general public in our online database." Via http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/04/history-engine-explore-stories-of.html

Present a live, interactive webinar or presentation quickly and easily with this superb online tool. Setup is simple and you just share the url with your audience. The video is recorded so it can be watched again. Get your class presenting to other children/parents. You may even be able to persuade you head teacher to conduct a staff meeting virtually! http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

CO14 is happening this weekend and so many great people are presenting. It runs from February 7-9 and is free. My session is sharing how writing has been reinvented as I share the 9 tools that have changed how we teach forever (a sneak preview of my book coming out in May.) If you teach writing, work with curriculum or teach, feel free to join in. The session is at 8 am EST on Saturday morning, February 8. Anyone can join. Lots of amazing presenters are speaking so check it out.

FACEBOOK, MySpace, YouTube and Wikipedia are considered valuable educational tools by some who embrace the learning potential of the internet; they are also seen as a massive distraction with no academic benefit by others. Research in Nottingham and Notts suggests split opinions over the internet in the classroom. Some 1,500 interviews with teachers, parents and students nationwide showed the 'net was an integral part of children's personal lives, with 57% of 13 to 18-year-olds in Notts using blogs in their spare time and 58% in Nottingham. More than 60% of Nottingham teens use social networking sites. They are a big feature of leisure time - but now the science version of You Tube, developed by academics at The University of Nottingham, has been honoured in the US this week. The showcase of science videos shares the work of engineers and students online. However just a quarter of teachers use social networking tools in the classroom and their teaching, preferring to leave children to investigate outside school.

Content filters and firewalls are great for keeping kids away from pornography, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act, or preventing them from updating their Facebook status during class. But the same filters can stop teachers from accessing cutting-edge widgets and digital materials that have enormous potential for expanding learning.

A really nice roundup of online writing tools. Basic instructions too.

Design your perfect classroom-great online design tool

Great overview from Tara about how she uses wallwisher. I haven't played with this new, cool tool but will. She says: "One of my favorite new tools that I shared with the group was Wallwisher. It's the whole 'get a sticky note, write your thoughts and stick it to the chart paper' activity but online. Brilliant! It's free, and I can keep the information archived each time I build a new wall. "

10 alternative tools that either offer a different perspective on digital writing or are a little known tool, that may have huge potential in the classroom. Not everything is free nor is it online - but the list will hopefully provide food for thought when you are looking at your next non-fiction or narrative unit with your class.

free online drawing tool. can make animated gifs too

Online book Tool for Thought by Howard Rheingold

List of the best Paint.net tutorial. Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins. It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.

Lots and lots of online tools, activities, and concepts for technology integration throughout the curriculum.  Lists of very well organized links to a variety of resources including differentiation, digital ethics, 21st Century Learning, digital tools, graphic organizers and many more