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HistoryPin is a free Web 2.0 tool that allows users to "pin" photos, audio, or video to a particular world map location, much like the Google Earth program. The main idea is that, with enough participation, users will be able to get a sense of the history a location - both the visual and narrative aspects of it - as photos or videos from various time periods are pinned to that location. I can envision my students using it in partnership with another class of L1 students to share the concept of how people and places can change. For instance, both groups might focus on how a major city in their own country has changed, in order to demonstrate that to the other class via HistoryPin. Students would collect and upload photos or videos that show how the respective cities grew, how building or even fashion styles changed. They would use the HistoryPin audio option to describe the changes, my L2 students in Spanish, the L1 students in English. Once the L2 learners had "pinned" their photos on the map, L1 students could review and e-mail corrections so that L2 students could return to HistoryPin and edit their contribution. My students would do the same in return in English for the L1 students (assuming they are learning English, possibly). In this way, through collaboration, all students can gain a new perspective on how people and places look and change in another culture, while honing "technical" language skills.

Is a website which allows you to create a internet scavenger hunt with the advantage of being about to guide the students from website to website. The teacher can annotade each website and students. A great tool especially for younger students. It is free to use. A tutorial is available

I just checked it out and see that it can be a great tool. I really like that you can annotate and direct students' attention on each step of the "web jog". I could see gathering specific sites for students to explore and then have them create something new (Glog, Voicethread, Powtoon) with what they learned. Thanks for the find!

Blogger is a free site for blogging. It is incorporated with Google, so if the user has a Google account, he automatically  has a Blogger account. This site (as well as any simple blogging site) can be used for students to publish their writing and receive a world-wide audience. Additionally, students can keep a reflection journal of their own progress, feelings, and questions regarding their learning. Finally, instructors can use blogs to communicate important information to their students as well as share their voice in an easily-accessed, asynchronous means.

ACTFL's Assessment of Performance Towards Proficiency (AAPPL) is an online assessment that incorporates audio & video in "real-life" task situations. Teachers can register their students. Approximate cost is $20 per student. Students receive feedback like which proficiency level they are currently showing and strategies to get to the next level.

students work together to accomplish a task - and this is done in the target language.  Students can also change the language of the game they are playing, and log onto a server in a target-language country.  They then learn how to communicate with them.  You can ask students to write about their experiences and perhaps give a narrative about the quest they went on (in the TL, of course)

Students are encouraged to write their own lyrics to songs of their choice, translate them into the target language, record them (audio or video), and share with the world.  This is an excellent way of incorporating 21st century skills, ISTEs, ACTFL standards, and more.  This could require collabortion, too.    This project is 'owned' by the students - teachers just guide the process.  Many examples and support available.

Storybird is a visual storytelling community. A global hub of readers, writers, and artists of all ages. Students and teachers can make, read, and share short, visual stories with an easy-to-use tool. Teachers and students can select artwork, drag and organize photos, and add your own text to create beautiful digital stories. These creations can then be published on the web with adjustable privacy settings and with the option to allow comments, which is perfect for teachers to encourage student collaboration. In addition, there is the option to create a classroom account. You can sign up for free or consider an upgrade to a paid account. World Language teachers can create stories for their students to read and share online. Students can also read or create short visual stories to share with their teacher and their peers.

Teacher and author Larry Ferlazzo shares some great resources for creating visuals to accompany short texts.  This could be used by both teachers and students at all levels of instruction to address differentiated learning and to offer students options for demonstrating their learning.

Barbara - Thanks for sharing this blog article and the teaching tip. What a great idea for differentiation and integration of digital literacy. This provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their digital literacy skills with respect to appropriate use of images, citation, etc.

Uclass is an online portal for classroom connections around the globe. Similar to ePals, this site allows teachers to create a virtual classroom and then request to connect with other classrooms for pen-pal exchanges or project collaboration. This site promotes cultural awareness and opportunities to easily connect with other classes around the world to arrange projects and virtual exchanges. Once teachers create a site (register) they can add students to the class to create student accounts. From there, one can search for other classes seeking pen-pals. Teachers can post messages for all users to view, suggesting topics of interest to language study or project proposals. Students can send direct messages to other students in other classes and within their own class, provided that the teacher has permitted this function within the class. Easy tool for getting started with global project collaboration and communication exchanges in the target language.

Paper.li provides a forum for students to find TL newspaper articles and publish an online class newspaper. This could be used with upper-level students to expose them to news and authentic language materials, and allow them to create based on their interests.

Many free sites for portfolios. A wonderful way to measure student growth through oout the school year. It gives students a way to measure their own learning and identify weaknesses and strengths

Performance Assessment rubric for students from Jefferson County Public Schools in KY. Can be used for student reference to guide their goals and understanding.

LanguageGuide.org is an online language learning resource available in numerous languages ranging from English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, to Korean. This illustrated vocabulary guide contains sound-integrated exercises at three levels -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced, and allows for independent practice at the learner's own pace. These practice exercises are appropriate for elementary and middle school students and this resource would be well suited on a teacher webpage. Thematic topics vary by language but generally include numbers, parts of the body, clothing, food, animals, weather, home, and school. There is an option menu on each screen for listening, speaking, and reading practice, as well as a quiz for students to check their comprehension. Some languages also feature a Grammar and Readings section for more advanced learners.

Explain Everything is a screencasting app for the iPad. It costs $2.99 in the App Store and no account is needed to use it. This iPad app is designed for educational professionals and students alike, to create projects and record them as screencasts. It is a powerful tool and flexible app that is easy to use. Students use Explain Everything to make collaborative projects using multiple mediums. The recording feature allows foreign language students to create speaking samples with their projects, which can be used to measure progress with language proficiency in a digital portfolio. Teachers can use the recording feature to create a lecture capture. Projects can be designed directly in Explain Everything or files such as presentations, photos, notes, and videos can be imported into the app to create a project that can be annotated with pencil or text, narrated, recorded, and shared in a variety of ways, uploading to Photo Roll, You Tube, Email, Drop Box, and Evernote. Explain Everything can be used by both teachers and students as an interactive whiteboard tool for presentational purposes, when connected to an Apple TV or projector.

Account is free; find collaborative projects with students around the world. Has a limited number of free student epals account too.

ePals is a free web 2.0 resource that provides language classes the opportunity to connect with target language speakers around the globe. Communication can range from simple email messages to wiki and blog collaboration to multimedia presentations and even Skype video chat. Teachers can monitor all activity, for the sake of student security. A potential project would be for both groups - advanced level students in the local L2 group - to read the same story or poem and then use the ePals blog tool to share opinions (targeting writing skills) and later the Skype video chat to discuss (or perhaps debate) the text (targeting oral skills).

Technology tool chosen to support ACTFAL standards and 21st century skills.

Use colorful collaboration with an online canvas. Incorportates sticky notes, uploading of pictures and YouTube videos. You can create calender reminders also. By making your canvas public it can be used as an exit ticket or for class discussions. Students can use their computers, IPads or Smart phones. Great collaboration tool which students can use both in and outside the classroom

This tool allows the teachers to create formative assessments that can be accessed by the students using their web-enabled device. The tool is free and can be used to create different types of quizzes.

An excellent curriculum/resource page for teaching students about copyright. Covers history of copyright; quizzes to see what students know; the concept of fair us; issues with remixing, mashups, and file-sharing. Contains links to further resources.