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This is a useful resource for teachers who want to use Skype in the classroom. The short annotations help seekers decide which lins are most relevant for them. There are resources for teachers looking for classrooms to connect with, for individual learners looking for conversation partners, and much more. I can see this as a go-to source for K-12 and higher ed teachers who need to communicate often (it's free) with people who live far away (it's internet-based).

I found this article on NEA's website (which I recommend on it's own). The topic is using social media to enhance the classroom. We've talked about most of the technology in here, but the applications of the resources are focused to younger learners and flipped classrooms. Google Docs are used with middle schoolers to prevent them losing track of the documents. Google forms are used to speed up quiz grading, and cell phones are used to help facilitate meaningful (and safe) field trips. If you are considering a K-12 career, this article might help you be on the cutting edge in interviews and in the classroom. Finally, at the end of the article, you'll find links to other online technologies to try. Happy tech-ing!

This is an interesting slideshare about someone's experience using the Nintendo Wii in their classroom. It definitely seems like it could be beneficial, but also distracting. It's limited because only a certain number of students can be on it at one time. This could be a serious distraction for other students in the classroom. Not to mention, if there is only one teacher in the classroom, it might be difficult to keep both groups on task. There is also the concern with being able to afford this device for your classroom. However, the slideshare mentions that the teacher can apply for grants to purchase one.

This is a fun little program to aid in classroom management by using a computer microphone to detect the volume in the classroom. If you have a particularly noisy room, the bouncy balls will go crazy, which will clue students in to their noise level. I think this would be fun for K-12 or maybe preschool. I think it might be odd for adults, unless you have a really quiet group and you want them to be louder. They could try to make the balls bounce by using louder voices.

My blurb: How do you use QR codes when students have limited online access? Did you know you can use QR codes offline? This website explains how to use a text feature that requires no online access. I thought this was an interesting option when working in classrooms where students may have varying access to technology. Their blurb: Smartphones during EFL classes? How can that be productive? Raquel Gonzaga is a blog writer in the field of technology resources for ELT classrooms. In this post, she considers how QR codes can be used to involve and motivate students in the EFL classroom.

There are some great ideas here on how the popular platform Edmodo can be integrated into the classroom. I think the advantage of using this platform is that it resembles popular social networking sites.

This site provides a wealth of information about technology for classroom use, as well as current discussions about technology and resources for teachers. I think K-12 teachers should subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed about what's going on in the field. I've been skimming the site, and so far, I've come across interesting research about the use of games in the classroom, as well as serving diverse populations, like special Ed through technology. The strength of this site is it's breadth of topics, but the weakness appears to be the amount of time sorting through everything to find what you want.

There are lots of videos on youtube that have specific parts that seem suited for the classroom. However many of them have commercials and take time to set up for use in the classroom. Tubechop allows you to decide how much of a youtube video you want to use, then you can edit out the parts you don't want and save the clipped video for use in the classroom. It is a simple website, but could be valuable for creating listening videos for classroom use and assessments, especially for listening.

Lots of great ideas about the integration of Web 2.0 tools and articles about the use of technology in the classroom. There is a forum too if you have any questions about the use of technology and you can get ideas from other teachers/professionals.

Dipity is a tool for creating timelines. Students could create timelines and view each other's timelines, as well as practice citing sources with this software. Photos can also be view as a flipbook, list or map (if geography is important in your class). I think this tool would be great for teaching history in CBI, or for having students tell their personal story. Students could create a timeline for a loved one, or maybe follow their favorite celebrity. A word of caution: many of the users on this site have created timelines that are NOT classroom-appropriate.

My blurb: Teacher training videos, for your ongoing professional development. These videos seems to be geared towards K-12 education and are on a variety of subjects. However, there are 391 videos about teaching English, some of those are TESL specific (I noted at least 3 on teaching Listening and Speaking skills). They also have 108 videos on teaching Modern Languages (mostly French and Spanish). Also, they have ideas for using technology in the classroom, under the "ICT" subject. For instance, they have a "Using web-based software to enhance speaking skills" video, and a "Flip Video Cameras" video. Their blurb: Education video resources, lesson plans, inspiration and ideas to use in classroom. Professional development, CPD and training for everyone working in schools.

Jennifer ESL could be used in the classroom or for self-study. I really like her videos because she goes into detail about pronunciation. I think she gives explanations that are thorough, but comprehensible for beginning students. I would suggest that students use this resource outside of class for additional practice.

StumbleUpon is a website that was not created with language learners in mind, but it can be a useful tool in the language classroom. You can sign up for free, and then you pick interests, such as English, humor, cats, politics, etc. When you hit "Stumble," you get new pages generated based on your interests. There are articles, videos, memes, blogs, pages dedicated to motivating writers, and so on, and most of the content is in English. Though not everything is authentic, there are pages on here that would be useful for reading, listening, and writing especially. The website is fun to use and based on students interests, which should increase student motivation. One activity that can be done with it is to ask students to share with the class (in person or perhaps on a discussion board) one or more websites that they stumbled upon. It would get students to use English to describe what they came across. One downfall for the classroom, though, is that you never know what you will get, so the content may not always be useful or level appropriate. Content is sometimes also more appropriate for teenage or older users.

"Learn English with our free tools for ESL students, including English language references, activities including tests and polls, and articles on English usage. Our ESL forum is the perfect place get help learning English, where people are online to answer your questions 24 hours a day." This site can be very useful for students who need to practice English for Specific Purposes because it has like a Business English section and common idioms section. I don't feel that this site would replace a classroom very well but could easily be used as supplementary to a classroom and a place where students can ask questions if they don't want to bother their teachers.

This blog post discusses how both Google Drive and Evernote can be used to create E-portfolios. Both of these technologies are free and easy to use. For classrooms integrating the use of Ipads, this post has a number of tips on using the Ipad applications of these platforms for portfolio creation online.

This program allows for real-time polling in the classroom. After a class account is created learners can log on with their smartphones, tablets or laptops. Throughout a lecture, reading or any other class activity students can show their understanding or lack of understanding through the click of a button. Presentations can also be embedded as well.

This is an excerpt from an International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) publication that shares some case studies and a lesson plan for employing cellphones in the classroom. Students use texting, blogging, QR codes, and call into a Talk Radio style voice blog (podcast/webcast kind of thing).

This article discusses the different ways that you might use QR codes in the classroom. There is also a tutorial video explaining how to create qr code stickers that students scan to recall what homework they are assigned.

I stumbled upon this resource while researching the tools and techniques used by a school that I'm applying to teach for.The Reading Assistant is based on speech recognition technology that helps students practice reading aloud (pronunciation) and answer comprehension questions (reading and critical thinking skills). From what I can tell, this paid software is available online, for maximum student convenience. After students complete assignments, teachers receive reports on students' performances. The program claims to have 300 graded readers that align with  US Common Core standards from elementary to high school. To me, the capability of this program to "listen" to students' pronunciation and provide help and individualized feedback is its greatest advantage. The inclusion of a variety of resources for developing vocabulary and work knowledge are also important points for me. Overall, this looks like a useful resource for K-12 schools that want to supplement classroom reading instruction.

iTunes has a plethora of podcasts available for free, many of which are for language purposes. Podcasts are audio shows, so to speak, which are uploaded in an episodic fashion. I browsed through some of the language podcasts, including ElementalEnglish.com's "English Pronunciation and Language Lessons," the VOA's "American Stories--Voice of America," and BBC World Service's "English at Work." In the podcast descriptions, the authors usually list language level, and the speakers tend to modify their input so listeners can understand. These types of podcasts are useful for listening practice and for supplementary material in the classroom. There are other podcasts available as well, ranging from Mugglenet's MuggleCast (a Harry Potter themed podcast) to podcasts dedicated to comedians. These podcasts can be useful in the language classroom, as they present more authentic listening material, especially for more advanced learners. Podcasts are a great way for students to engage in their interests while practicing listening, with just one potential set-back: the set up. To access the podcasts, students must download iTunes (if they do not already have it) or it needs to be downloaded onto school computers. From there, one can access the Apple Store (though podcasts are mostly free), and then they can browse the selection. It can be tricky at times to find a good one, but once you do, the podcast can be downloaded onto mp3 players, so students can listen to them on the go, if they want. Note: Because the iTunes store is accessed through iTunes, I could not put a URL. The one above does, however, provide more information on what goes into making a podcast.