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" What amazed me most about Classtools.net was not the valuable tools provided, but the ability for teachers to easily customize these tools and use them in any subject area. If that is not enough, how about the ability to embed your newly made instructional resource on your own classroom website, wiki, or blog? Any educator will also like the fact that students have no need to log in or sign up for an account… and neither do teachers! Need tutorials… they are provided! Do samples help you understand better… you will find plenty! Is budget a problem… then free should be affordable! Classtools.net is the work of educator, Russel Tarr, Head of History at the International School of Toulouse, France. Upon entering the site, educators will see the listing of tools. Clicking on a tool allows teachers to individualize that specific tool for their own classroom needs. Teachers then have the option of copying a generated link to place on their own web site or of copying a generated code to embed as a tool (widget) on their classroom site. Also, on the front page, are some video links that will provide further information. Two videos that provide excellent information are the 1 Minute Overview and How to Create Games. The Listing Of Over 20 Digital Tools For Your Classroom The tools that you can even customize are included below. Along with this tool listing you will find descriptions of each tool, an overview of and samples of specific tools (if provided), and any related video (if provided). * Arcade Game Generator - Allows teachers to create concept builders, practice exercises, and reviews. Best of all, one set up feeds into five different game possibilities at the same time The teacher can choose which game, or allow students a choice. Make sure you check out all the examples and pre-made games in (overview and samples). Also watch the How to Create Games . * Random Name Picker - Can be used as an activity management tool or skip the names.

"Best Practices in Online Learning Posted June 26, 2012 in Online Learning From David Evans A recent Time magazine article, "The Teacher You've Never Met: Inside an Online High School Class," profiled Jane Good, one of Colorado's 21st Century Virtual Academy K-12 teachers. As a teacher who only sees her students' hands raised through buttons clicked on a screen and will never be able to tell if a student has dozed off on his or her desk, Good realizes that there are effective and ineffective practices for teaching in an online classroom."

"Dr. Lodge McCammon is a Specialist in Curriculum and Contemporary Media at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (www.fi.ncsu.edu). His work in education began in 2003 at Wakefield High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he taught Civics and AP Economics. He finished a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 2008 where his work at The Friday Institute continues to bring innovative practices to students, teachers and schools. He developed a teaching and professional development process called FIZZ which encourages and models best practices in implementing user-generated video and online publishing in the classroom to enhance standards-based lessons. He is also a studio composer who writes standards-based songs, with supporting materials, about advanced curriculum for K-12 classrooms. More information, user-generated videos, and songs can be found at Lodge's website (www.iamlodge.com). Dr. Lodge McCammon explains how to create a Paper Slide Video."

The apptivities website at http://www.apptivities.org/ We ask our ADE colleagues to contribute your apptivities, a specific learning activity using apps on mobile devices. A key part of our vision for apptivities is to provide media resources that give a "view" into best practices in the classroom. apptivities: Models for successful instructional practices with mobile devices It's the application of apps for learning.

"What is Online Reputation Management? In a nutshell, online reputation management, or ORM as it's known, is the practice of making people and businesses look their best on the Internet. To accomplish that, people need to control their online search results because they frequently contain inaccurate, misleading or outdated material which can adversely influence how web searchers view them."

"Reaching a Communication Balance Best practices for Parent-Teacher Communication"

"he Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers to ensure that all students in the United States receive a world-class education and are prepared to be a literate person in the twenty-first century regardless of their zip code."

Launched spring of 2012, the mission of the Flipped Learning Network™ is to provide educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully implement Flipped Learning. The goals of the FLN are to provide professional learning opportunities on Flipped Learning; to conduct, collaborate and disseminate relevant research on Flipped Learning; and to act as the clearinghouse for distributing best and promising practices for current and future "flipped" educators.

The California K-12 High Speed Network (K12HSN) is offering a comprehensive set of tools to support teaching and learning in California classrooms. Calaxy, this free suite of tools, includes blogging, videoconference scheduling, wikis, an asset management module, as well as Moodle-an online course management system and a file sharing system where educators can upload videos, podcasts, images and documents. Thousands of Thinkfinity resources are also available in Calaxy. Calaxy is an excellent tool to share lesson ideas, upload student learning objects, disseminate best practices, and more! Messaging and social networking functionalities help you connect with other educators in the K12HSN Trusted Community. Make sure you take advantage of these free resources provided by the K12HSN and the California Department of Education.